Lori Wickelhaus, who appeared on MTV’s 16 and Pregnant, was sentenced in August 2021 to six and a half years in Kentucky prison after pleading guilty to 20 counts of possessing matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor.1Lexington Herald-Leader. NKY Woman Part of MTV Show Sentenced in Child Porn Case She was also ordered to register as a sex offender and to undergo mandatory mental health counseling.2People. 16 and Pregnant Star Sentenced to More Than 6 Years Prison Child Pornography
How the Case Started
The Campbell County Sheriff’s Office received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after the Kentucky State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force flagged that an unknown user had uploaded child sexual abuse material to a Dropbox account.2People. 16 and Pregnant Star Sentenced to More Than 6 Years Prison Child Pornography Investigators obtained warrants to search Wickelhaus’s Dropbox and Google accounts as early as March 2020, followed by a warrant for her iPhone.1Lexington Herald-Leader. NKY Woman Part of MTV Show Sentenced in Child Porn Case
A Campbell County grand jury indicted her on August 13, 2020, on 20 counts.3WKRC Local 12. Former 16 and Pregnant Star Arrested in Campbell County on Child Porn Charges She was 28 and living in Northern Kentucky at the time.4WAVE 3. NKY Woman Part of MTV Show Arrested Internet Crimes Related to Children Wickelhaus was released on a $10,000 bond ahead of a September 8, 2020, arraignment.
The Plea and Sentence
Wickelhaus pleaded guilty on May 10, 2021, to all 20 counts.1Lexington Herald-Leader. NKY Woman Part of MTV Show Sentenced in Child Porn Case Each count was charged under Kentucky Revised Statutes § 531.335, a Class D felony that carries one to five years per count.5Justia. KRS 531.335 Possession of Matter Portraying a Sexual Performance by a Minor Run consecutively, the counts could have exposed her to decades behind bars.
Her plea agreement produced a consolidated sentence of six and a half years. The Campbell County Circuit Court judge also required mandatory mental health counseling and sex offender registration, which under Kentucky law lasts 20 years for this type of conviction. At sentencing, she was 29 and listed her residence as Bromley, Kentucky.1Lexington Herald-Leader. NKY Woman Part of MTV Show Sentenced in Child Porn Case
Her Appearance on 16 and Pregnant
Wickelhaus appeared on Season 2, Episode 5 of 16 and Pregnant in 2010, when she was a teenager in Fort Thomas, Kentucky.6FOX19. NKY Woman Part of MTV Show Sentenced in Child Porn Case The episode followed her decision, with support from her parents, to place her newborn son in an open adoption with her then-boyfriend Cory Haskett.7The Sun. 16 and Pregnant Lori Wickelhaus Trial Possession Child Pornography