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Abuse of Kylie Freeman

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The abuse of Kylie Freeman was a case of child sexual abuse perpetrated, recorded, and distributed by the victim's father, Kenneth Freeman.

Divorced from her mother, Kenneth Freeman abused his pre-teen daughter for 14 months in Washington and Oregon, recording and distributing it online. Kylie Freeman was in her mid-teens when she first revealed the abuse to her mother; within a year, she spoke about it on the TV series America's Most Wanted. Despite fleeing to mainland China, Kenneth Freeman was captured in 2007 and tried through early 2009. Facing federal and state charges, Freeman was convicted on multiple related counts and sentenced to 50 years imprisonment. His third wife was tried and sentenced for assisting his flight from justice. Kylie Freeman attended college, has advocated for sexual assault victims, and was party to litigation and sentencing of perpetrators caught with recordings of her abuse.

Background

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Kenneth John Freeman
A portrait photo mugshot of a white man with dark hair; he is wearing a white collared shirt, and looking straight into the camera with a neutral expression.
United States Marshals Service mugshot
Born (1962-06-21) June 21, 1962 (age 62)
Virginia, United States
Other namesKen Freeman
OccupationLaw enforcement officer
Employers
Criminal charges
Criminal penalty50 years imprisonment
Criminal statusImprisoned until
December 5, 2049
(25 years' time)
Spouses
  • Gaye Leah Metz
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1988; div. 1993)​
  • Melissa L. Moscatelli
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1994; div. 1999)​
  • Maleka May Freeman
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2005; div. 2008)​
ChildrenKylie Freeman
(born 1989 or 1990)

Kenneth John Freeman was born on June 21, 1962, in Virginia. Also called Ken Freeman,[1] he is a former Hanford nuclear plant guard;[2] Hanford, Washington patrol officer; and Benton County, Washington Sheriff's Office reserve deputy.[3] In 2007, the US Marshals Service reported his height at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m), and weight as 250 pounds (110 kg).[1] In 2008, the Houston Chronicle called him a "computer adviser" and bodybuilder.[4]

After marrying Gaye Leah Metz in 1988,[5] they had a daughter—Kylie Freeman—in 1989 or 1990.[3] Gaye divorced Kenneth Freeman in April 1993.[6] In 1994, Freeman married Melissa L. Moscatelli,[7] and they divorced in October 1999[8]

Sexual abuse

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Beginning in 2000 when she was ten years old,[4] Kylie Freeman was sexually abused by her father; the preteen "was forced […] to dress up like a hooker and say dirty words to a video camera and was bound by ropes and repeatedly raped." These crimes were recorded as both photos and videos[3] that were posted online as the "Vicky series, […] the most viewed images of child pornography of all times."[9] This lasted for 14 months until Kylie Freeman's "spirit was broken".[3]

In November 2005,[4] by which time teenaged Kylie Freeman was suicidal,[3] a family viewing of Forrest Gump recovered the repressed memories,[10] and Freeman finally told her mother about the abuse.[3] The subsequent police investigation uncovered some Vicky-series material on Kylie Freeman's own computer, believed to have been put there by her father.[10] A year later, she appeared on the December 19, 2006, episode of America's Most Wanted and told of what her father had perpetrated, placing the previously "provincial affair" in the national spotlight. With this exposure, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children was able to link the Vicky series to the victim and perpetrator.[11]

Capture of Kenneth Freeman

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Kenneth Freeman fleeing Seattle

In early 2006, Kenneth Freeman was living in Seattle,[4] having been released from jail on a bail bond of US$50,000 (equivalent to about $76,000 in 2023).[12] He was scheduled for trial in Benton County, Washington, for "three counts of first-degree rape of a child"[3] on March 24, 2006.[11] That day,[2] the former law-enforcer instead fled to mainland China to avoid prosecution,[4] and was subsequently placed on the most wanted lists of the United States Marshals Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).[11] A reward of $25,000 (equivalent to about $38,000 in 2023) was offered by the Marshals "for information directly leading to his arrest."[1] While in China, Freeman wrote a 400-page autobiography that included confessions to his crimes.[13]

Found living in Suzhou, authorities waited to arrest Freeman until he transited to Hong Kong, because the US had no extradition treaty with the government of China, but did with the government of Hong Kong. On the evening of May 1, 2007,[14] Freeman was caught at the Lok Ma Chau Control Point. He injured himself and four local police with the ensuing fight.[15] Four months later, he agreed to US extradition, and returned to the United States on October 18, 2007 (via Fairchild Air Force Base).[11]

Prosecution

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In the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, Kenneth Freeman was tried under Judge Lonny R. Suko on one federal charge of producing child pornography in Washington, and two Oregonian charges: possessing child pornography and "interstate transportation of a minor for purposes of engaging in unlawful sexual activities." Freeman pled guilty to all three charges in December 2008.[16]

I've been molested and raped. I've been dressed up like a hooker and given dirty lines to say in front of a camera. […] When I was told how many people have viewed these images and videos, I thought my pulse would stop. Thinking about all those sick perverts viewing my body being ravaged and hurt like that makes me feel like I'm raped by each and every one of them.

As part of a cross-jurisdictional plea bargain, Freeman was sentenced on March 25, 2009, to 50 years imprisonment; Judge Suko told Freeman that if the felon was ever released from prison, he would be aged in his mid-80s.[16] Two hours later, at the Spokane County Superior Court, Freeman was also sentenced to 20 concurrent years of imprisonment for the 2006 Benton County charges.[3] He is forbidden from profiting off his life story,[18] and is subject to a lifetime restraining order prohibiting any contact with his daughter.[9] As of May 2023, he was prisoner number 12163-085, imprisoned at the United States Penitentiary, Marion with a release date of December 5, 2049 (25 years' time);[19] he is parolable after serving 42 years of his sentence.[20]

Accessory prosecution

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While he was a fugitive in China, Kenneth Freeman's third wife (Maleka May Freeman, born in 1969 or 1970, married March 2005)[21] traveled to China multiple times to meet with her husband, and lied to US federal authorities about knowing his whereabouts. Upon returning to the US from China, she was arrested by ICE the day after Freeman was caught in Hong Kong. She ultimately pled guilty to making false statements and aiding and abetting her husband's flee from custody. On November 29, 2007, she was sentenced to six months house arrest, 240 hours of community service, and three years probation.[10] The Freemans divorced in April 2008.[22]

Kylie Freeman

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According to The Spokesman-Review, during the search, trial, and conviction of her father, Kylie Freeman had "not shied away from being publicly identified."[18] She became a public advocate for sexual assault victims by sharing her story and teaching that they're not alone in their struggles. By March 2009, she was a freshman at college.[3]

Restitution

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In November 2007, Joseph Kennedy (born in 1976 or 1977) was found with a laptop containing "thousands of images of child pornography", including 48 of Freeman.[23] At Kennedy's February 2010 sentencing, he was ordered by Judge Richard A. Jones to pay Freeman $227,571.10 (equivalent to $317,967 in 2023) as allowed by the "Mandatory Restitution for Sex Crimes" section of the Violence Against Women Act. This restitution order was overturned by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 2011, but after Freeman presented additional information to the court as part of Kennedy's resentencing, Jones ordered a new restitution order of $4,545.08 (equivalent to $6,032 in 2023)—figured as Kennedy was one of 292 verified defendants accused of or sentenced for downloading images of Freeman, and her total losses as of 2012 were calculated at $1,327,166.24 (equivalent to $1,761,347 in 2023).[24]

In June 2010, Freeman gave a victim impact statement in the trial of John Joseph Mulligan, a Sacramento, California, man who pled guilty to downloading the Vicky series.[9] As of January 2014, media of Freeman's abuse had been evidence in 3200 US criminal cases, and she had received approximately $800,000 in restitution (equivalent to about $1M in 2023).[23] In June 2016, she filed suit against J. Lee Anderson III of Macon, Georgia, who had been convicted in 2009 of downloading Vicky series media. Anderson’s was her fifth such lawsuit against downloaders; she sought $150,000 (equivalent to $190,433 in 2023).[25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Most Wanted" (PDF). United States Marshals Service. United States Department of Justice. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 5, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  2. ^ a b America's Most Wanted. September 22, 2007. Fox.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kraemer, Kristin M. (March 26, 2009). "Freeman gets 50 years for sexual abuse". The Seattle Times. Spokane, Washington. ISSN 0745-9696. OCLC 9198928. Archived from the original on February 16, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2022. The man who repeatedly raped his daughter when she was a child is sentenced to 50 years in prison.
  4. ^ a b c d e Geranios, Nicholas K. (December 17, 2008). "Dad pleads guilty to posting online video of girl's rape". Houston Chronicle. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. ISSN 1074-7109. Archived from the original on February 16, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2022. Dad pleads guilty to posting girl's rape video online. Washington state man who fled to China faces 50 years in prison
  5. ^ "Benton County Auditor, Marriage Records, 1987-Present - Kenneth - Gaye - John - Et Al". Benton County, Washington: Washington State Library. April 27, 1988. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  6. ^ "Department of Health, Divorce Index, 1969-2017 - Freeman - Kenneth - J - Et Al". Benton County, Washington: Washington State Library. April 5, 1993. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  7. ^ "Benton County Auditor, Marriage Records, 1987-Present - Kenneth - Melissa - John - Et Al". Benton County, Washington: Washington State Library. July 19, 1994. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  8. ^ "Department of Health, Divorce Index, 1969-2017 - Freeman - Kenneth - J - Et Al". Benton County, Washington: Washington State Library. October 28, 1999. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c "California man who downloaded "Vicky" child porn series sentenced to more than 4 years in prison". Sacramento, California: BNO News. June 26, 2010. Archived from the original on July 1, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c Brown, Robert; Poon, Denise. "AMW Case Data File for Kenneth John Freeman". America's Most Wanted. Fox Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on January 11, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d "AMW Capture Data File for Kenneth John Freeman". America's Most Wanted. Fox Broadcasting Company. May 2, 2007. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2022. Freeman Captured In Hong Kong, Back On U.S. Soil
  12. ^ "US fugitive wanted in child rape case lived openly in PRC". Taipei Times. Associated Press. May 7, 2007. ISSN 1563-9525. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  13. ^ Geranios, Nicholas K. (December 17, 2008). "Father pleads guilty to rape, porn charges". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. ISSN 0745-970X. OCLC 3734418. Archived from the original on November 7, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  14. ^ Jordan, Lara Jakes (May 1, 2007). "Estadounidense arrestado en Hong Kong por violar a su hija" [American arrested in Hong Kong for raping his daughter]. Seattle Post-Intelligencer (in Spanish). ISSN 0745-970X. OCLC 3734418. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  15. ^ Lee, Min (May 4, 2007). "Fugitive Freeman used own passport". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Hong Kong. Associated Press. ISSN 0745-970X. OCLC 3734418. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Kraemer, Kristin M. (March 26, 2009). "Ex-Tri-City cop gets 50 years for sexual abusing daughter". Tri-City Herald. Spokane, Washington. OCLC 17157840. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  17. ^ Erickson, Dave; Humphrey, Jeff (March 26, 2009). "Freeman sentenced to 50 years in prison". Spokane, Washington: KXLY-TV. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  18. ^ a b Morlin, Bill (December 18, 2008). "Man who raped daughter agrees to long term". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. OCLC 11102529. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2022. He put video of 10-year-old's assault on Internet
  19. ^ "Inmate Locator". Federal Bureau of Prisons. United States Department of Justice. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  20. ^ Geranios, Nicholas K. (December 18, 2008). "Father pleads guilty to rape charges". The Seattle Times. Spokane, Washington. ISSN 0745-9696. OCLC 9198928. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2023. A man who raped his daughter and posted videos of the abuse online before fleeing the country pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court and likely faces the rest of his life in prison. Onetime Seattle resident Kenneth John Freeman, 46, will spend decades in federal prison.
  21. ^ Lee, Henry K. (May 4, 2007). "Wife of 'most wanted' man charged with lying". San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco: Frank Vega. ISSN 1932-8672. OCLC 8812614. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  22. ^ "Department of Health, Divorce Index, 1969-2017 - Freeman - Kenneth - J - Et Al". Spokane County, Washington: Washington State Library. April 10, 2008. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  23. ^ a b Green, Sara Jean (January 17, 2014). "Child-porn victims want damages from those who view the images". The Seattle Times. Frank Blethen. ISSN 0745-9696. OCLC 9198928. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  24. ^ Elliott, Suzanne Lee (February 11, 2013), Kennedy's Brief in Opposition to Amy and Vicky's Petition for Writ of Certiorari (brief), Supreme Court of the United States
  25. ^ Womack, Amy Leigh (June 10, 2016). "Child pornography victims sue former Macon banker for restitution". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on May 21, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
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