TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement and the U.S. Department of Justice announced that four men were convicted for their involvement in a child exploitation network online. The federal court found all four guilty for their roles. One of the defendants was from Pasco County.

Kyle Leishear, 43, of Bayonet Point was convicted alongside Christopher William Kuehner, 38, of Bremerton, Wash., Jacob Royce Mullins, 20, of South Webster, Ohio, and Matthew Martin, 25, of Lancaster, Wisc.

Leishear, Martin, and Mullins pleaded guilty, while Kuehner was convicted, according to ICE. From September to December 2020, the men engaged “in the enterprise,” operating a site called rapey.su, which officials describe as “dedicated to child sexual exploitation,” among other items. Law enforcement agents took the site down in December 2020, according to officials.

After joining the website, Kuehner “repeatedly induced and enticed minor girls to produce child sexual abuse material for both him and the other members,” ICE reported. The site was seized and shutdown by Department of Homeland Security special agents.

During their investigation of the site, another arrest was made in 2022, leading to the conviction of Ashley Kolhoff, 22, of Port Clinton, Ohio, USDOJ reported. Her involvement with the site was centered on producing child pornography. Federal and state law enforcement have “successfully prosecuted” other users from around the U.S. for “offenses committed on the website.”

“Kuehner, Mullins, and Martin each face mandatory minimum sentences of 20 years in prison when sentenced on April 25, as does Leishear when he is sentenced on May 9,” ICE reported.

“The actions of the four defendants in this case are nothing short of reprehensible,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of HSI Washington, D.C. said “They shamefully targeted the most vulnerable members of our community for their own perverse desires.”

Gordon said agents remained at work, watching for indications of child exploitation in American communities and protecting children from abuse.