Repeat Sex Offender Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison
HAMMOND- Denny Minix, 32, of Lafayette, Indiana, was sentenced by Judge Philip P. Simon following his guilty plea to a charge that he produced child sexual abuse images of a 16 to 17 year-old minor female, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
Minix was sentenced to 300 months (25 years) in prison followed by a lifetime term of supervised release.
Minix’s sentence was increased as a result of his earlier conviction for possessing child sexual abuse material here in the Northern District of Indiana in 2010. In that earlier case, Minix had received a 97-month prison sentence followed by a 20-year term of supervised release.
After being released from prison on that offense, and while on supervised release and registered as a sex offender, Minix posed as a gay woman on various social media platforms and offered to and did distribute depictions of minors being sexually abused and exploited. Following an investigation, Minix was found with over 6300 such images and videos, some of which he had made himself while engaging in sexual acts with the 16 to 17 year-old victim. As part of his plea agreement in the case, Minix agreed to have no future contact with the victim and to pay $10,000 toward her future therapy and lost income expenses.
“Not long after being released from prison on his first child pornography offense, Minix found it impossible to resist committing other, more serious child exploitation offenses. My office is committed to prosecuting repeat sex offenders like Mr. Minix to the fullest extent of the law,” said United States Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch II. “This case also serves as a good reminder to parents to please monitor the websites your children are visiting, and the people with whom they are communicating online.”
“This lengthy sentence clearly illustrates the FBI’s commitment to protect the most vulnerable members of our community from those who would exploit them in this heinous manner,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to work diligently to identify and hold accountable these abusers who prey on innocent children for their own gratification.”
This case is the result of the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Tippecanoe County, Indiana Prosecutor’s Office and the Purdue University Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill R. Koster.
