SANTA ANA, California – A previously convicted sex offender from Colorado has been indicted by a federal grand jury on a series of child exploitation charges after allegedly meeting a 15-year-old girl in Colorado, taking her on a 3½-month road trip that ended in Southern California, and producing child pornography that depicted sexual acts with the victim.

Kenneth Wayne Fisher, 42, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was named in an eight-count indictment filed late Wednesday.

Fisher allegedly took the victim through multiple states on a trip that ended on November 16, 2015 after a high-speed police chase that concluded when Fisher ran out of gas on the 405 freeway near Seal Beach.

The indictment charges Fisher with:

· enticement to travel in interstate commerce to engage in criminal sexual activity;

· transportation of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity;

· production of child pornography;

· transportation of child pornography;

· possession of child pornography; and

· three counts of commission of a felony offense involving a minor while required to register as a sex offender.

The indictment alleges that Fisher was convicted in an Alabama state court in 2000 of sexual abuse in the second degree, which is why he was required to register as a sex offender.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

If he is convicted of the offenses alleged in the indictment, Fisher faces a potential sentence of life without parole in federal prison. In Fisher's case, because of his prior conviction and requirement to register as a sex offender, the charge of producing child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 35 years in prison.

Fisher is currently in federal custody in Kansas where he faces sentencing for robbing a bank during his trip with the victim.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fountain Valley Police Department. The Colorado Springs Police Department conducted the missing persons investigation, and the California Highway Patrol assisted the Fountain Valley Police Department during the chase that culminated with Fisher's arrest.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gregory S. Scally of the Santa Ana Branch Office.

Component(s):USAO – California, Central

Contact: Thom Mrozek Spokesperson/Public Affairs Officer United States Attorney's Office Central District of California (Los Angeles) 213-894-6947

Press Release Number: 18-069     Updated April 27, 2018

Central District of California DOJ / 18-069 / April 27, 2018