Adam Stafford King from Illinois driver’s license.

An Elburn veterinarian and nationally known dog show judge has been arrested by the FBI on charges of distributing child pornography.

Adam Stafford King, 39, was arrested March 22 after an investigation reportedly found that he had sent sexually explicit images and videos of children being sexually abused to a man in New York. A criminal complaint filed in federal court also alleges that King told that same person that he planned to sexually abuse his newborn son when he returned home with him from California, where the surrogate mother lived.

King’s arrest stems from a criminal investigation initiated last year when the FBI accessed the Telegram and Scruff accounts of a suspected New York pedophile. The man had been chatting with numerous other people, including a Chicago area man identified as “pervchidude.”

“Pervchidude” was connected to King’s computer after investigators determined that his Scruff account accessed the internet while at hotels in Pennsylvania and Illinois on dates when records showed King had stayed as a registered guest at both hotels.

When the FBI executed a search warrant on King’s home March 5, he declined to be interviewed, but did give agents the password to his smartphone. He had deleted his Telegram account, but his Scruff account was still on the phone.

King sought to be released on bond, citing his “family ties,” steady employment, established connections to the community and lack of a criminal record. His lawyer also submitted five letters from friends and family members touting his character and trustworthiness.

The government responded that all that was “not evidence … that he does not pose further danger to the community. Indeed, the record shows that he had all of those while engaging in the criminal conduct charged.”

Calling the evidence against King “extremely compelling,” and the “nature and circumstances of the offense charged … heinous,” prosecutors went into detail regarding the nature and circumstances of King’s alleged behavior. While King has been charged with a single count of possession of Material Constituting/Containing Child Pornography, and not sexual abuse of a minor, prosecutors focused heavily on online statements that say King made indicating that he has a history of such abuse.

After the New York suspect was arrested federal agents reportedly discovered child pornography images and videos on an electronic device he owned, and texts to and from numerous individuals via the apps Telegram and Scruff, including to King, aka “pervchidude.”

In a September 2023 text, the New York man reportedly asked King about his preferred age range in children, and King replied, “single digits [i.e., children under 10] are my fav [favorite].”

During that same Scruff chat, prosecutors say, King sent the other man two sexually explicit videos, including one depicting “an adult white male” penetrating a prepubescent boy.

Law enforcement authorities began communication with “pervchidude” In November 2023, using an Online Covert Employee (“OCE”) who posed as the New York man.

Prosecutors say King texted back to the OCE that “0-9 [years old] my fav…B[oy] and g[irl], though prefer b[oy],” and sent the OCE “images and videos depicting child pornography.”

According to the criminal complaint, King also told OCE that he had raped a 4-year-old boy, and “had previously drugged and sexually abused his nieces and nephews.”

“I play with nephews and nieces,” prosecutors say “pervchidude” wrote on Nov. 9. “I’ve done almost everything. Not (sexual intercourse). Can’t send them home damaged … But I’ve (molested) them.”

He told the OCE he used a “double adult dose of Benadryl” to sedate the children before molesting them.

King also informed the OCE that he and his husband, who he referred to as a “non-perv,” were expecting a son by a surrogate mother in late March, and that he was planning to sexually molest the infant “asap.”

“I do love the idea of inviting a buddy over when I have my boy” he texted the OCE. “… just has to be someone I can trust obviously … I plan on (molesting) him asap.”

In the same text conversation, he sent a photograph of a baby’s outfit he’d been gifted, and commented, “We got so much baby stuff for Christmas!”

FBI agents photographed that same piece of clothing in King’s closet when they searched his house.

Judge Keri L. Holleb Hotaling denied the defense motion for bond and ordered King be held in federal custody until further notice. His next court date is April 1.