A Michigan man was sentenced to more than 15 years for distributing child pornography just months after someone from the public phoned in a tip.

Chad Kraft, 41, of Galesburg, was sentenced to 188 months in prison, according to an Oct. 25 news release. In addition to the lengthy jail term, U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney also mandated a subsequent 20-year period of supervised release.

“This case highlights the important role our community members play in bringing predators like Kraft to justice,” Angie Salazar, the Homeland Security Investigations Detroit special agent in charge, said in the release. “By seeing something and speaking up, we can all work to end the victimization of innocent children.”

“It would be an understatement to describe Kraft’s conduct as grotesque,” Maloney said, according to the release. 

Law enforcement received a tip in March that Kraft, who had not registered as a sex offender since May 2021, was living in Galesburg and had sexually explicit images of children on his phone, the release reported. Salazar said the case shows that public involvement can help law enforcement officers do their job, and she urged the public to get involved when something is amiss.

U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said child pornography is a crime not to be taken lightly, according to the release.

“We take very seriously the crimes of viewing, receiving and sharing images of children being sexually abused,” Totten said in the release. “My office will continue to aggressively pursue those who contribute to the serial abuse of children through the distribution of child pornography.”