Derek Gaff, a 45-year-old resident of Columbia City, Indiana, was sentenced on July 8 to 120 months in prison and an additional 10 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography. The sentencing took place before United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady.
Gaff was also ordered to pay $13,000 in restitution, with the possibility of further restitution being determined at a later date. According to United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred, “A recidivist Defendant possessed child pornography between September 2023 and April 2025. The Defendant had previously been convicted of Possession of Child Pornography in Whitley County. The Defendant has traded the next ten years in prison for his choice to possess these deplorable materials and will be supervised for an additional ten years when he gets out to protect the children in our community. Offenders who possess CSAM take their delight in the victimization and violation of children and that is nothing short of evil. They also contribute to the perpetual victimization of the innocent so long as it is in circulation, whether or not the Offenders participate in it themselves,”
Mildred said that thanks to efforts by Homeland Security Investigations, Indiana State Police, Whitley County Sheriff’s Office, and Whitley County Prosecutor’s Office led by D.J. Sigler, “the case was able to be prosecuted by Lesley J. Miller Lowery as part of Project Safe Childhood. Our children are safer with him behind bars.”
The prosecution was brought under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative created by the Department of Justice in 2006 aimed at protecting children from exploitation and abuse through coordinated federal, state, and local resources.
Project Safe Childhood is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along with the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.