CHARLETSON — A senior investigator with the West Virginia Commission on Special Investigations has been arrested and charged in a federal child pornography case involving explicit communications with a teenager in California.
Kenneth McCord, of Charleston, West Virginia, was taken into federal custody following an investigation by the FBI. According to a federal criminal complaint, McCord is accused of sending sexually explicit messages and images to a California teenager, with communication allegedly beginning as early as March 2024.
The West Virginia Senate confirmed McCord’s position as a senior investigator with the Commission on Special Investigations. However, a Senate spokesperson said he has since been terminated.
“The Legislature became aware earlier today that Ken McCord, a Senior Investigator with the Commission on Special Investigations, was in federal custody,” said Jacque Bland, Director of Communications for the West Virginia Senate, in a statement to WOWK 13 News. “His employment was immediately terminated. The Commission on Special Investigations and the Legislature have been fully cooperating with the FBI in its ongoing investigation into these charges.”
The criminal complaint outlines that an FBI agent in California reviewed the teen’s iPad and found explicit iMessages dating back to December 30, 2024. The messages, from a contact listed as “Ken,” allegedly included nude photographs believed to depict an adult male, which were sent to the teen. Additional explicit images were also allegedly exchanged between January 4 and February 4, 2025.
Investigators say they traced the phone number involved in the conversations to McCord through AT&T and confirmed the identity through Apple account data and a driver’s license photo on file with the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles.
The complaint alleges that McCord knowingly received and attempted to receive child pornography, transmitted across state lines via text messages between California and West Virginia.
McCord appeared in the Southern District of West Virginia federal court on Wednesday, March 19, for an initial hearing where he was informed of the charges. Court records indicate he has not yet entered a plea. Preliminary and detention hearings are scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on March 24.
The investigation remains ongoing.
