A Portland man, Travis Jay Grygla, 44, has been sentenced to more than 21 years in federal prison for distributing child sexual abuse material and stealing a government vehicle while fleeing law enforcement. Grygla will also serve a life term of supervised release and must pay $27,551.79 in restitution to the United States Government.
Court documents show that in April 2024, Homeland Security Investigations discovered Grygla was storing and sharing child pornography at his residence with another registered sex offender. Grygla himself was on federal supervised release after a previous conviction for distribution of child pornography in 2008.
On April 24, 2024, federal agents executed a search warrant at Grygla’s home and seized multiple electronic devices he was not allowed to possess due to his supervised release conditions. One device contained over 200 files depicting child sexual abuse involving very young children.
During the search, Grygla stole a government vehicle and fled at high speed. He was pursued by law enforcement officers and apprehended in Castle Rock, Washington.
Grygla was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possessing or accessing with intent to view child pornography. On June 2, 2025, he pleaded guilty to charges of distribution of child pornography and theft of government property.
The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations, the Portland Police Bureau, Vancouver Police Department, Washington State Patrol, and Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Mira Chernick, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
“Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.”
Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. These materials document crimes against children and their distribution can cause repeated harm each time they are shared online. More information is available from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. Further details about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
