Buckeye Reporter

A Cleveland man, Christopher Galaszewski, 27, has been sentenced to 184 months in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to the possession and distribution of child pornography. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent.

Galaszewski admitted to distributing visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and possessing child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). In addition to his prison term, he was ordered to serve 15 years of supervised release and pay $10,000 in Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act assessments. He will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

Court documents state that between June 23 and July 6, 2023, while on parole for an unrelated offense, Galaszewski distributed computer files containing images of minors involved in sexually explicit acts. One image included a prepubescent minor under the age of 12.

Federal agents were alerted that Galaszewski was sharing CSAM through a social media platform. During a check-in call with his parole officer, he claimed his email account had been hacked because it contained child pornography. His parole officer subsequently seized his cellphone and laptop as allowed by parole conditions. A federal search warrant led investigators to find nearly 200 images and videos of CSAM on his digital devices.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations.

"This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Margaret A. Kane."

"This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC."

To report suspected cases of child exploitation or abuse online at any time, individuals can use https://www.cybertipline.org/ or call 1-800-843-5678.