Earl Burford, a 47-year-old resident of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison for distributing child pornography and illegally possessing a firearm. United States District Judge John M. Gallagher also ordered six years of supervised release and $3,000 in restitution.
Burford was initially arrested and charged by criminal complaint in September 2024. In March 2025, he was formally charged with distribution of child pornography and possession of a firearm by a felon. He pleaded guilty to both counts in May, waiving prosecution by indictment.
According to court documents, the FBI began investigating Burford in August 2024 after learning that a Kik messaging account named “freakyfam69” was involved in communicating about child pornography and abuse. Kik provided information showing the account was registered with the email address “goldmusicsoul3@gmail.com.” Law enforcement traced this email to Burford through subscriber details and matching IP addresses supplied by both Kik and the email provider. Further investigation using cellular phone records confirmed that Burford subscribed to those IP addresses.
“This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.”
The investigation involved FBI Philadelphia’s Allentown Resident Agency along with FBI Oklahoma City. Assistant United States Attorney Rosalynda M. Michetti prosecuted the case.
