Chicago veterinarian and dog show judge charged with distributing child porn, as depraved dating app messages detailed his plans to rape the infant he and husband are expecting via surrogate

A Chicago veterinarian and dog breeder was busted in an FBI sting for sharing child pornography and making disturbing comments about his soon-to-be-born son.

Adam Stafford King, a veterinary ophthalmologist from Elburn, was charged with one count of knowingly distributing child pornography following a months-long investigation.

The Elburn man has a history of viewing explicit images of children dating back to at least 2017, according to court documents. 

The charges stem from an incident beginning in September 2023, when King began communicating with a New York man through the gay dating app Scruff. 

He and the man spoke interchangeably on the app and encrypted messaging service Telegram, with King using the handle 'pervchidude.'

Adam Stafford King, pictured in a driver's license photo, has been charged with one count of knowingly distributing child pornography following an investigation spearheaded by the FBI

The Illinois man is a dog breeder under the name 'Askin Havenese' and was scheduled to appear as a judge for the 2024 Westminster Dog Show

In disturbing messages to an informant based in New York - whose account was later taken over by the FBI - King expressed his desire to sexually assault his unborn son and shared photos of baby clothes

In those communications, King indicated that both men identified as 'pervs.' According to the FBI, the term is often used to describe 'someone with an interest in pedophilia.'

King discussed his interest in underage children on several occasions. In one message, he professed that 'single digits,' meaning children under 10 years of age, were his 'fav.'

The veterinarian clarified that he had a liking for boys and girls aged '0-9,' but preferred boys.

The FBI discovered the New Yorker's messages with King in October 2023, after executing a search warrant on his electric devices. The agency was ultimately given control over the accounts, with a covert agent assuming the role of the New York man.

King wrote extensively about his experience abusing children. In a November 2023 message, he described himself as an 'uncle,' adding, 'I play with nephews and nieces. I’ve done almost everything.'

He described how he would sedate the children before abusing them, writing, 'I generally use Benadryl,' noting that it provides a 'wide safety margin' and 'I usually double an adult dose.'

King also gave several clues about his identity, including that he and his husband were expecting a child in the spring through a surrogate.

He clarified that his husband, Lucas, was a 'non perv,' or not sexually attracted to children.

The Elburn man wrote extensively about his experience abusing children, including his nephews and nieces, detailing how he sedated them with Benadryl

He bragged about 'possessing a large collection of child pornography' to the undercover FBI agent

In some of the most shocking messages, King expressed interest in sexually assaulting his son after he was born. 

'I do love the idea of inviting a buddy over when I have my boy … just has to be someone I can trust obviously … I plan on getting my c*** in him asap,' the Elburn man wrote.

Twice he implied that the covert agent should take part in the abuse.

'Maybe you’ll get to meet my boy,' he wrote. 'Might have to come and visit my boy when he’s born.'

On two separate occasions, King shared ultrasound photographs of the unborn child. He also shared a photograph of baby clothes that was attached to the complaint. 

The veterinarian also bragged about 'possessing a large collection of child pornography' that he stored on his Telegram account. 

In subsequent conversations between December 2023 and January 2024, King revealed that he was a doctor specializing in eyes. 'I just love eyes,' he wrote on one occasion.

Towards the end of January, he finally disclosed his first name, writing, 'Adam here!'

At the time  he was employed as a staff ophthalmologist at MedVet Chicago and had been appointed the network's national Ophthalmology Department Lead.

King also sent a photo of his penis while wearing what appeared to be blue scrubs, according to the complaint. 

In March, the FBI executed a federal search warrant on King's Elburn home. Despite 'multiple verbal announcements of the FBI's presence,' King remained in the shower on his iPhone, the complaint states. 

He declined an interview but provided the passcode to his phone. Stored on that device were several images that had been sent over Telegram. 

'For example, the FBI discovered the ultrasound photograph that the Chicago Subject sent to the New York Subject,' the complaint reads.

King's husband, Lucas, identified the photograph as that of their unborn child and confirmed that the child was expected to be born around March 29.

Lucas and King married in 2016 and settled down in a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house in rural Elburn.

The pair met when King was completing his veterinary residency at Colorado State University. At the time, Lucas was a pastor at a church in Longmont, but has since moved on to churches in Illinois, including one in Aurora.

Upon conducting a search of King's house, agents spotted the same baby clothes that had appeared in a photograph shared over Telegram

In 2017, police officers questioned the veterinarian after learning that he had uploaded two images of suspected child pornography using a Gmail account that was traced to his home

One year after the pair wed, the Illinois Attorney General's Office received a tip that a Gmail user based in the state had uploaded two images of suspected child pornography.

Police traced the IP address to the home King shared with his husband. There, King admitted that had a Gmail address by the same name, and that it was registered to a site he used to view pornography.

An officer noted that 'Adam appeared very nervous and hesitant to answer questions' during the encounter, according to a report.

The officers ultimately determined they 'did not have a legal basis' to search King's electronics and left.

In addition to his work as a veterinarian, King also breeds Havenese dogs under the name 'Askin Havanese.' Before the startling allegations came to light, he had been scheduled to serve as a judge for the 2024 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

The Elburn man received several character letters in his defense. Among his backers were two former classmates, his aunt, his father and his in-laws.

One former classmate, Jessica Ward, wrote, 'I am so excited for Adam and Lucas to welcome (the name of their son) into their lives, and I am confident they will be exceptional parents surrounded by a wide circle of support from friends and family.'

King's father, John, a former law enforcement officer, described his son as someone who was 'not deceitful' and had 'an aura of decency and integrity.'

Both of Lucas' parents penned a letter in support of their son-in-law.

'We could not be prouder nor more supportive of Adam if he was our own son,' it read. 'In a world where dishonesty, divisiveness, hate and impatience have become way too common we need more Adam Kings.'

It is unclear what will happen to the couple's child, who is expected to be delivered by a surrogate in Sacramento in the coming days.

Under California law, a surrogate mother must convince the child's parents to voluntarily relinquish their rights to the child in order to keep it.