Rebecca C. Lutzko United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
A Cleveland man has been sentenced to nearly 15 years in federal prison for possessing and distributing child sexual abuse materials while on parole for an unrelated offense.
Christopher Galaszewski, 27, received a sentence of 184 months from U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent after pleading guilty in May to distribution and possession of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. In addition to his prison term, Galaszewski will serve 15 years of supervised release and must pay $10,000 under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act assessments. He is also required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
Court documents state that between June 23 and July 6, 2023, Galaszewski distributed computer files containing images of real minors involved in sexually explicit acts. At least one image depicted a prepubescent minor under the age of twelve.
Federal agents began investigating after receiving information that Galaszewski was sharing illegal material through a social media platform. During a routine check-in call with his parole officer, Galaszewski claimed his email account had been hacked because it contained child pornography. The next day, his parole officer seized his cellphone and laptop as allowed by parole terms. A federal search warrant led investigators to discover nearly 200 images and videos of child sexual abuse material on his devices.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Margaret A. Kane prosecuted the case.
"This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse," according to the press release. "The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims."
Further information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Reports of child exploitation can be made at https://www.cybertipline.org or by calling 1-800-843-5678 at any time.
