Batavia, New Hope Men Sentenced for Child Exploitation

Derek Hagen, a 33-year-old man from Batavia, NY, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for producing and distributing child pornography involving a minor aged 4 to 8. The U.S. Attorney's Office reported that Hagen recorded sexual conduct with the child and possessed approximately 50,000 images of child pornography, some produced while he worked at a childcare center. His convictions stemmed from a series of offenses occurring between January 2018 and July 2021. In a separate case, Donald Wayne Carmody, a 29-year-old from New Hope, Alabama, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for stalking, extorting a woman, and producing child pornography involving two minor victims. Carmody's actions included threatening a victim to send intimate photographs and possessing child pornography discovered during an investigation. Both cases highlight ongoing issues of child exploitation and the legal consequences offenders face.