Matthew Norman Ballek, a 32-year-old from Saskatchewan, Canada, has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for distributing child pornography. The sentencing took place in U.S. District Court and was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Ballek pleaded guilty on October 4, 2024, to one count of possession of child pornography in the District of Columbia. Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered that after serving his prison term, Ballek will undergo six years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender for 15 years. He may also face deportation proceedings and other immigration consequences.
Court documents reveal that in January 2024, an undercover agent from the FBI–MPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force was monitoring an online dating application used by individuals with a sexual interest in children. Ballek contacted this agent, believing him to be a fellow pedophile, and expressed interest in child pornography. He sent three video files through an encrypted messaging app depicting adult men abusing a toddler and prepubescent boys. Following this exchange, Ballek was arrested on February 7, 2024, in the District of Columbia. A forensic examination of his phone revealed ten unique videos and at least twenty-one unique still images of child pornography.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. It aims to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those exploiting children via the internet while identifying and rescuing victims.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office alongside MPD’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. This task force includes FBI agents as well as federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia who focus on investigating child exploitation and human trafficking cases.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Shinskie prosecuted the case.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
