An 82-year-old Rio Linda man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after being caught with explicit images of children. Kenneth Wayne Lorenz was given his sentence by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta, following a revelation of his involvement in illegal activities during an undercover operation. The sentence was announced on January 23 by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California.
In the course of the undercover investigation, which took place in July 2024, it became apparent that Lorenz was associated with another individual, Kevin Gipson of Oroville, who had interacted with an undercover agent. Gipson informed the agent of Lorenz's potential interest in a depraved act involving a minor. In his dealings with the undercover agent, Lorenz even went so far as to suggest that he would cancel a poker game to make time for the purportedly offered sick encounter. A subsequent search at Lorenz's home led to the confiscation of two thumb drives and a laptop containing abusive material.
According to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the devices seized from Lorenz's residence unearthed a cache of child sexual abuse material, some of which depicted infants and involved bestiality. Lorenz reportedly confessed to possession of this material and admitted to viewing it along with friends, including Gipson, who has since pleaded guilty to related charges. Gipson's case is pending sentencing at this time.
The investigation leading to Lorenz's sentence was a combined effort by the FBI, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, and the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force/Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Delaney is credited with the prosecution of this case. It falls under Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative aiming to tackle the pervasive issue of child sexual exploitation and abuse. This program pools together resources at the federal, state, and local levels aimed at apprehending criminals, and helps in identifying and rescuing victims. For more information on Project Safe Childhood, resources are available at the DOJ’s dedicated website.
