Rebecca C. Lutzko United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
A Toledo man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after being convicted on multiple charges related to child sexual abuse and exploitation. Derran Reebel, 53, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Jeffrey J. Helmick following convictions at two separate trials.
Reebel was found guilty of receipt and distribution of child pornography, possession of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, attempted sexual exploitation of a minor (production), and coercion and enticement. In addition to his prison term, he will be subject to lifetime supervised release.
Court documents show that between October 10 and 15, 2020, Reebel communicated via a social media application with an undercover agent posing as a 14-year-old girl. Evidence presented during the March 2025 trial included sexually explicit messages sent by Reebel in attempts to persuade the minor to send him explicit photos and perform sexual acts.
At an earlier trial in November 2024, Reebel was convicted for receiving and distributing child sexual abuse material over nearly eight years—from January 1, 2014 through August 17, 2022. Investigators executing a federal search warrant at his home discovered images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Authorities also found that Reebel had contacted minors over several years using social media platforms to send them explicit messages and photos.
The FBI Toledo Resident Agency’s Violent Crimes Against Children Taskforce conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Sara Al-Sorghali and Frank H. Spryszak prosecuted the case for the Northern District of Ohio.
The prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation by coordinating resources across federal, state, and local agencies. More information about this initiative is available at https://www.justice.gov/PSC.
Reports of child exploitation can be made online at https://www.cybertipline.org or by calling 1-800-843-5678 at any time.
