Accused Child Porn Prof Kenneth Kyle Facing New Federal Charges

Kenneth Kyle

​Kenneth Kyle, the Cal State East Bay professor previously charged with rape and sodomy in Missouri and child porn-related charges here can toss a new bevy of charges on the pile: Federal felony counts of child porn production.

The U.S. District Attorney's office in St. Louis yesterday announced Kyle and Tessa Van Vlerah of Missouri were each facing additional federal charges for allegedly photographing themselves while engaging in sexual acts with Van Vlerah's 13-month-old daughter. The two were already facing charges in St. Louis County of statutory rape, statutory sodomy, and promoting child pornography. Van Vlerah faces an incest charge.

If convicted, production of child pornography carries mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. The max sentence is 30 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000, followed by supervised release for life.

Kyle, a San Franciscan,  was arrested in mid-March at San Francisco International Airport after returning from a trip to Europe. The FBI claims it traced a child porn file-sharing operation to his home on Natoma.

He is scheduled to be arraigned on April 5 in San Francisco on charges stemming from his arrest at SFO.