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Thursday, June 5, 2025

Zanesville Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison Following Investigation of Child Sexual Abuse Material

June 4, 2025, Steven M. Krofft, 25, of Zanesville, OH, appeared in a Muskingum County Court where he was sentenced to thirteen (13) to sixteen (16) years in prison after being found guilty of possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Krofft plead guilty to six counts of Pandering Obscenity Involving a Minor, each a felony of the second-degree. Each count carried with it a maximum sentence of six (6) to nine (9) years in prison.

On the first count of Pandering Obscenity the Judge imposed a prison sentence of six (6) years in prison. The Judge ordered this sentence to be served consecutively to sentencing on the remaining five counts.

On the remaining five counts the Judge imposed a prison sentence of six years each, to be served concurrently to each other. A concurrent sentence means that each sentence will be served at the same time, resulting in an additional six (6) years in prison.

For the six counts of Pandering Obscenity, Krofft was sentenced to twelve (12) years in prison.

Krofft, previously convicted of another sex crime, was also charged with Failure to Provide Notice of Change in Vehicle Information or Identifiers, a felony of the fourth degree, after it was found that he failed to register an email address.

The maximum sentence for this charge is 12 months in prison, which the Judge imposed to be served consecutively to the sentencing received on the six counts of Pandering Obscenity.

The twelve (12) year sentence for Pandering Obscenity and twelve (12) month prison sentence for Failing to Provide Notice of Change, brings Krofft’s sentence to a minimum of thirteen (13) years in prison.

Krofft was also ordered to register as a tier 3 sex offender. As a tier 3 sex offender Krofft will be required to register every ninety (90) days for life.

Case Details:

On February 12, 2025, detectives were notified of a suspected case of child sexual abuse materials by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) data system. The tip, reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, indicated that child sexual abuse material was being uploaded via a Kik account located in Zanesville, OH. Kik, is a social messaging app that allows its users to send messages, photos, and videos.

After detectives submitted the tip as evidence, a subpoena was then obtained for the IP address linked to the user’s Kik account. Investigation of the account revealed that the subscriber of the Kik account was associated to a home in Zanesville and linked to an email address belonging to kenyakrofft@icloud.com.

Detectives found that Steven Matthew Krofft resides at the service address in Zanesville and that Krofft is a tier II sex offender. Detectives also found that Steven Krofft has an alias name of “Kenya Krofft”.

Krofft’s Kik account revealed several chat messages that were active in efforts to obtain and trade child sexual abuse materials.

Detectives executed a search warrant at the Zanesville home and located Krofft at a friend’s home on Pershing Rd. Krofft was then taken into custody and interviewed at the Zanesville Police Department. Krofft admitted to being a registered sex offender but denied any knowledge of trading pictures of underage children online.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney John Litle noted the serious nature of cases involving child sexual abuse material, “Every case of possession of CSAM is a case where a victim exists, and through the sharing of the images of their abuse, they are revictimized. Elsewhere, these cases are treated as probation cases, in Muskingum County CSAM defendants can expect lengthy prison sentences.”

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