Indianapolis man to serve 30 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man will serve 30 years in federal prison after an investigation found he exchanged money for sexually explicit photos of an underage girl and engaged in sexual conduct with her.

Gerald Hoye, 43, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child which was uncovered through a U.S. Secret Service investigation, according to the office of Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.

An investigation began when the Secret Service was notified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an adult, later identified as Hoye, received sexually explicit images of the girl and engaged in sexually explicit conversations with her through Facebook, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Investigators discovered Hoye, 41 and a truck driver at the time, "coerced and manipulated the child by offering her money in exchange for sexually explicit photos and videos," the U.S. Attorney's Office wrote.

In September 2019, Hoye went to the victim's home in another state, took her across state lines and engaged in illegal sexual conduct with her, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

As part of his sentence, Hoye was ordered to be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years after his release. He's also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution to the victim and register as a sex offender.

The case was prosecuted by Myers and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina M. Korobov. It was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative against child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in 2006.