Kentucky State Police Thwart Woodford Co. Child Abuse Sextortion Scheme
Co-defendant to be sentenced later this month in sextortion scheme
VERSAILLES, Ky. (April 1, 2025) – The Kentucky State Police (KSP), in collaboration with multiple law enforcement agencies, played a critical role in the investigation that led to the sentencing of a Woodford County man for creating child pornography.
Austin David Stafford, 31, of Versailles, Ky., was sentenced to 540 months in prison on March 21 by U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves, following Stafford’s guilty plea to production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
The sentence stems from two separate cases against Stafford. According to court documents, Stafford and his co-defendant, Crystal Campbell (now deceased), used a minor to create CSAM. Evidence obtained through digital forensics revealed that Stafford distributed the illegal material twice via a social media platform.
According to his plea agreement, Stafford also created a fake internet persona, “Craig Wright,” to lure a minor victim into an online romance. Stafford used that online account, plus multiple others, to extort and coerce the victim to produce child pornography. The sextortion scheme led the victim to engage in sexual acts with Stafford and James Campbell, 26, of Versailles, Ky., by threatening to hurt her family if she did not comply. Campbell is scheduled for sentencing on April 21.
Court documents show that law enforcement was first alerted to Stafford because of a victim’s father seeing photos that contained nude photos of the minor on her social media messaging platform. One of the detectives in the case, KSP Detective Rugina Lunce, emphasized the importance of parental involvement in preventing cases of child sextortion.
“Parents and guardians play a crucial role in protecting children from online predators by monitoring their online interactions and having open conversations about internet safety,” said Lunce. “The victims are now safe thanks to vigilant parents, and justice has been served through the tireless cooperation between multiple local, state, and federal agencies.”
This case was a joint effort involving the Kentucky State Police, the FBI Lexington Field Office, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Versailles Police Department, Anderson County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Former Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Heather Hubble. KSP’s specialized units, including the Intelligence Branch, Drug Enforcement and Special Investigations (DESI) and the Electronic Crime Branch, played a crucial role in the investigation.
KSP remains committed to protecting children from online predators and urges parents and guardians to monitor their children’s online activity. Adults who recognize a cybercrime involving a child should take immediate action. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline can be used to report any type of child abuse, including child sexual abuse material. Tips can also be reported by calling 1-800-THE LOST.
After preliminary analysis, a report is generated and sent to KSP because of the agency’s participation in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Internet Crimes Children Task Force. This task force encompasses a national network of 61 regional task forces representing over 4,500 federal, state and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies. As Kentucky’s leading law enforcement agency for this effort, KSP has dedicated investigators, forensic examiners and administrative personnel who work closely with our affiliate agencies on this initiative, which aligns with KSP’s overall mission. To learn more about the agency’s core values, click here.
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