A grand jury indicted a 29-year-old Ohio man on 30 counts of pandering sexually-oriented material involving a minor.
According to one of the prosecutors, the man "was not only collecting gigabytes of child pornography, he was also out in public covertly recording children at play."
Investigators received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) that an internet account connected to the man "was possibly involved in the storage of child sexual abuse material" (CSAM).
Hamilton County Sheriff's Office deputies searched the man's home in August 2024 and "recovered numerous electronic devices, including a cell phone that contained more than 100 images of child sexual abuse and dozens of others categorized as 'child exploitative material.'"
Investigators also found "screenshots of children's Instagram accounts and nearly 100 videos 'of women and children playing in public, believed to be recorded in parks and neighborhoods in the Anderson Township area.'"
The accused faces a maximum sentence of 77 years and 6 months in prison if convicted of all charges. Quinlan Bentley "Man accused of creating child sex abuse images, recording kids at Anderson Twp. Parks" www.cincinnati.com (Sep. 09, 2024).
Commentary
Federal law defines child pornography as "as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor (someone under 18 years of age)."
The "production, distribution, reception, and possession of an image of child pornography using or affecting any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce" is illegal under federal law. "Citizen's Guide To U.S. Federal Law On Child Pornography" www.justice.gov (Aug. 11, 2023).
According to the United States Sentencing Commission, 1,408 cases involving child pornography were reported in fiscal year 2023. Child pornography offenses have increased 2.9 percent since fiscal year 2019. "QuickFacts: Child Pornography Offenses" www.ussc.gov.
Safe adults must report suspected child pornography immediately to local law enforcement, child protective services, or NCMEC (in compliance with state mandated reporter requirements) to help stop this crime.
Here are links to additional information about the crime of child pornography: