Oklahoma City man pleads guilty to producing child porn

Last Updated on March 9, 2023, 9:00 AM | Published: March 9, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma City man who worked for the Oklahoma Children’s Theater before his arrest pleaded guilty and was convicted of producing child pornography Wednesday.

Nathan Benfall, 34, was facing multiple charges handed down by the federal grand jury but pleaded guilty to the one count of producing child pornography.

As a part of the plea, Benfall admitted that he “used a hidden camera in his home bathroom to video-record a boy’s genitals for Benfall’s own sexual gratificaton.”

Benfall was arrested by the FBI in September 2022 after a month-long investigation that involved online surveillance and using a pole-mounted video surveillance camera pointed at his house.

According to a press release from the office of U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester in the Western District of Oklahoma:

“At sentencing, Benfall faces mandatory minimum sentence of not less than 15 years and up to 30 years in a federal prison, a $250,000 fine, up to lifetime supervised release, and up to $50,100 in assessments.

In determining Benfall’s sentence, the Court will take into account the nature and circumstances of the offense, Benfall’s history and characteristics, and the need to protect the public from further crimes of Benfall. Sentencing will take place in approximately 120 days. Benfall will also be required to register as a convicted sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.”

Oklahoma Children’s Theater

Before his arrest, Benfall had worked as a full-time employee of the Oklahoma Children’s Theater.

Upon his arrest, the company fired Benfall.

According to KFOR – TV in Oklahoma City in September, Lyn Adams, Executive Director of Oklahoma Children’s Theater wrote the following in response to news about Benfall’s arrest:

“Oklahoma Children’s Theatre’s mission to provide live theatre and educational experiences for young audiences makes the news about the arrest of our former employee Nathan Benfall especially devastating. We were made aware yesterday that he was taken into custody; Oklahoma Children’s Theatre responded immediately by firing this person. The children we serve and our community is our number one priority.”

Project Safe Childhood

The case was one of the results of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) “to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.”

The project is led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. The project brings together federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet and to identify and rescue victims.

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