Andrew Scott Whitaker Jr.

Introduction

Andrew Scott Whitaker Jr., a 30-year-old man from Indianapolis, was sentenced to 19.5 years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material. According to the announcement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana and the U.S. Secret Service, Whitaker was also ordered to pay restitution to each of 15 identified victims, totaling $47,500. Court documents show he committed the new offenses while already on federal supervised release for a 2021 conviction for possession of and access with intent to view child sexual abuse material, making this a repeat-offender case announced on October 13, 2026.

Background Information

Whitaker lived in Indianapolis, Indiana. According to court documents cited in the release, on December 27, 2024, he sent multiple images and videos containing child sexual abuse material to several individuals using the social media messaging application Kik. On March 27, 2025, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his residence and recovered a cellphone containing approximately 2,279 images and 1,109 video files of child sexual abuse material, and investigators discovered a second Kik account he had used to facilitate the same criminal conduct. At the time of his 2024 arrest, Whitaker was on federal supervised release stemming from his 2021 conviction in the Southern District of Indiana.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Convicted and sentenced. Whitaker pleaded guilty to distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material and was ordered to serve 19.5 years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, with restitution to 15 identified victims.

According to the release, court documents established that on December 27, 2024, Whitaker sent multiple images and videos containing child sexual abuse material to several individuals through Kik, a social media messaging application. The conduct drew law enforcement attention in 2024, and on March 27, 2025, officers executed a search warrant at Whitaker’s residence in Indianapolis. The search recovered a cellphone containing approximately 2,279 images and 1,109 video files of child sexual abuse material. Investigators also discovered a second Kik account Whitaker had used to facilitate the same criminal conduct.

The repeat-offender dimension was central to the case. At the time of his 2024 arrest, Whitaker was on federal supervised release stemming from a 2021 conviction in the Southern District of Indiana for possession of and access with intent to view child sexual abuse material. He was therefore charged with new federal offenses of the same kind for which he had already been convicted and placed under court supervision.

Whitaker pleaded guilty to distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material. Chief U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II imposed a sentence of 19.5 years in federal prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, and ordered Whitaker to pay restitution to each of 15 identified victims, totaling $47,500.

The United States Secret Service and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case, and the investigation was conducted by the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a multiagency task force led by the Indiana State Police that investigates and prosecutes persons who use the internet to sexually exploit or entice children. U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney MaryAnn Mindrum, who prosecuted the case. The prosecution was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, marshaling federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet and to identify and rescue victims.

Public Reaction and Consequences

Federal officials framed the sentence as a warning to offenders who reoffend while under supervision. “This dangerous offender exploited a social media platform to circulate the horrific abuse of the most vulnerable among us, all while already on federal supervised release for the same reprehensible conduct,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Those who gather online to revel in the exploitation of children should know that we will identify you, we will find you, and we will hold you accountable.”

“Distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material is a serious crime that causes significant pain and trauma to victims, families and the community, and it carries significant penalties, as this case demonstrates,” said Special Agent in Charge Ike Barnes of the U.S. Secret Service’s Indianapolis Field Office, which he said is committed to using its resources to pursue “those who choose to engage in such nefarious online behavior.”

No public response was reported from Whitaker. The stated consequences of the case are the 19.5-year prison term, the 15-year supervised release term, and the restitution order running to each of 15 identified victims, totaling $47,500.

Current Status

As of the announcement published on October 13, 2026, Whitaker, 30, had been sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II to 19.5 years in federal prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, after his guilty plea to distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material. The court’s restitution order in favor of 15 identified victims, totaling $47,500, was entered alongside the sentence. The release reported no trial, no further court dates, and no appeal, and it did not state a designation for the facility where the sentence will be served. The case record as announced closes with sentencing, prosecution, and the multiagency investigation described as complete.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The sentence returns Whitaker to federal custody for 19.5 years and subjects him to a further 15 years of supervised release once the prison term ends, extending his involvement with the criminal justice system for decades. He must also pay restitution to each of 15 identified victims, totaling $47,500. Because the new offenses were committed while he was already on supervised release for his 2021 conviction, his supervision was overtaken by a new, substantially longer federal term, and federal authorities publicly identified him as a repeat offender in announcing the case.

Sources

• “Repeat Offender Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years in Federal Prison for New Child Exploitation Crimes” source