An Akron man was sentenced to 40 years in prison after he entered guilty pleas to a pair of counts of sexual exploitation of children and a count of receipt and distribution of child pornography.

Joshua Allen Saunders, 27, was sentenced Aug. 4 by U.S. District Judge John R. Adams, according to an Aug. 8 Department of Justice news release from the Northern District of Ohio.

“Identifying, investigating and catching child predators is a critical part of our mission,” Cleveland FBI Special Agent in Charge Gregory Nelsen said in the release. “The conniving conduct and domineering behavior Saunders exerted over his victims is detestable. The FBI is proud to collaborate with our federal, state and local partners to ensure thorough investigations are conducted and we eliminate criminal behavior that exploits children.”

An Akron man was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the sexual exploitation of children and the receipt and distribution of child pornography. | shutterstock.com

Citing court documents, the news release noted Saunders came under federal investigation after he was found to be distributing child pornography online. Federal authorities searched his home Nov. 2, 2021, and found video footage of Saunders involved in sexual activity with a minor on his cell phone.

According to the release, Saunders also will serve a lifetime of supervised release and also must pay $55,000 in restitution.