A former firefighter from Hickory, North Carolina, was sentenced to seven years in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material. U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson announced that Nate Eli Kurzak, 22, received an 84-month sentence and will be subject to lifetime supervised release and mandatory sex offender registration after serving his prison term.
"James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Reed Baer of the Hickory Police Department, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement."
According to court documents, law enforcement began investigating Kurzak in August 2023 after receiving information that he was uploading suspected child sexual abuse material to a cloud-based file hosting service. Officers from the Hickory Police Department executed a search warrant at Kurzak’s home and seized several electronic devices. During an interview with officers, Kurzak admitted to possessing and accessing such material.
A forensic analysis revealed more than 2,000 videos and 600 images of child sexual abuse material on his devices. Some content depicted prepubescent minors being sexually abused. The investigation also found evidence that Kurzak distributed this material online. At the time of his arrest, he was employed as a firefighter with the Hickory Fire Department.
Kurzak pleaded guilty to one count of possession and access with intent to distribute child pornography. He remains in custody while awaiting placement at a federal facility by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Hickory Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Cervantes prosecuted the case.
The prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
