Pennsylvania man gets 17 years for production of child sexual abuse material after Arkansas indictment

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A Pennsylvania man in Arkansas was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for the production of child sexual abuse material.

Officials said 25-year-old Codi Vaughan of Fair Chance, Pennsylvania, received the sentence. They said Vaughan had been contacting minors and seeking self-produced child pornography for over a year.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney Jonathan D. Ross for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker handed down the sentence on Thursday.

A federal grand jury indicted Vaughan on June 2, 2023, on five counts of child sexual abuse material and three counts of receipt or distribution of child sexual abuse material, Ross said. Vaughan pleaded guilty to count seven of the indictment on Oct. 16, 2024.

Officials said the investigation began when the FBI received a tip on February 3, 2023, from the Secretary of the Air Force Inspector General’s tip hotline. The tip said that Vaughan wanted to have sexual relations with minors and purchased child pornography. Vaughan worked as a mechanic for the Air Force and lived on the Little Rock Air Force Base.

Special Agents from the FBI interviewed the caller, a minor who lived in Maryland. Officials said the minor told agents that Vaughan contacted her through Snapchat and wanted to purchase child pornography from her and her friends, who were also minors.

On February 6, 2023, Vaughan used Snapchat to contact another minor in Maryland, officials said, again asking for the minor to send him self-produced child pornography. In both instances, Vaughan offered to pay the minors for the child pornography.

Authorities said that agents learned that Vaughan regularly communicated with minors in Maryland and Virginia through Snapchat and has been doing so since at least January 2022. This pattern of abuse of minors led to a sentencing enhancement.

In January 2023, Vaughan offered a minor $1,000 to perform sexual acts, officials said.

Officials said investigators determined that Vaughan regularly paid or offered to pay minors for child pornography through CashApp. A review of Vaughan’s CashApp history revealed numerous payments to minors.

During the times he contacted them, Vaughan knew they were minors, officials said.

The 17-year sentence is followed by 10 years of supervised release. The federal system does not have a parole provision.