Former Fall City, Washington, resident sentenced to nine years in prison for possession of images of child sexual abuse

Seattle - A 27-year-old former resident of Fall City, Washington was sentenced July 16, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Seattle to nine years in prison for possession of images of child sexual abuse, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Payden Georgy Bussey was charged federally in May 2025 following a CyberTip from the Kik platform that a had shared child sexual abuse images with another Kik user. By that time, Bussey had already been arrested in Utah for sexual assault of a child and also faces child sexual abuse charges in King County from 2024.

At today's sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead placed Bussey on lifetime supervised release following his prison term. Judge Whitehead said, "A lengthy sentence is warranted to protect the public."

According to records filed in the case, as a juvenile, Bussey was convicted of child molestation of a minor under the age of 12 and was required to register as a sex offender until 2017 when he became an adult and no longer was required to register. As part of his sentence, he underwent sex offender treatment.

In February 2024, Bussey was arrested by King County Sheriff Deputies for rape of a child. That charge remains pending. In October 2024, Bussey was booked into Utah County Jail for sodomy of a child. That charge also remains pending.

In September 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received the CyberTip from Kik that 15 images that appeared to be child sex abuse material had been shared by a user. Law enforcement sought legal process to identify the user account and received the address information in December 2024. The Homeland Security Investigations Task Force Officer recognized the address from the King County investigation into child sexual abuse. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Bussey's electronic devices and determined his laptop contained images of child sexual abuse.

In asking for a 9-year prison sentence Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Harmon wrote to the court, "Mr. Bussey's conduct in this case is particularly troubling in light of his prior convictions and that he had successfully completed treatment. This is now his second sex offense, which demonstrates his inability to conform his conduct to the law. The recommendation is appropriate in light of all the facts of this case when taken in light of his personal characteristics."

The case was investigated by the King County Sheriff's Office and Homeland Security Investigations as part of the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Laura Harmon. Ms. Harmon is a Senior King County Deputy Prosecutor specially designated to prosecute child exploitation crimes in federal court.