A Woodbury resident faces federal charges for engaging in a child sextortion scheme, the U.S. Attorney's Office disclosed. Timothy Lennard Gebhart, 37, is accused of producing and possessing child pornography as well as coercing minors to perform sexually explicit acts.
Court documents reveal that Gebhart pressured a 16-year-old, referred to as Minor A, and a 14-year-old, referred to as Minor B, into sexually explicit conduct from July 2021 to March 2022. He allegedly used these materials to not only extort money and items from Minor A but also to threaten to quickly ruin their reputation by distributing the content to their family and friends. Moving between the digital platforms of the computer and the cellular phone, Gebhart distributed the invasive videos, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The indictment includes two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography, one count of distribution, and one count of interstate communications used for extortion. Gebhart made his court debut on June 21, 2024, facing Magistrate Judge Douglas L. Micko. The case falls under Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative to aggressively respond to the abuse of children through the internet and sexual exploitation.
This investigation enlisted the collaborative efforts of the Woodbury Police Department, Greene County Sheriff's Department, Indiana State Police, and the FBI, with additional support from the Owatonna Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Classen is to lead the prosecution of the case. While Gebhart has been charged, it should be noted that an indictment does not equate to guilt, and he remains innocent until possibly proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
