Rebecca C. Lutzko United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
A Chinese national living in Hudson was sentenced on Mar. 24 to more than 13 years in federal prison for possessing and distributing child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
Tong Chen, age 59, received a sentence of 160 months—equivalent to thirteen years and three months—in prison from U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko after pleading guilty in December 2025 to charges related to receipt and distribution of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and possession of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). Chen will also serve fifteen years of supervised release following his imprisonment and must pay $67,500 in restitution. He faces deportation from the United States after completing his sentence.
Court documents show that federal agents began investigating Chen’s activities in May 2024 after the Circleville Police Department identified suspected CSAM linked to his Summit County residence. In July that year, authorities executed a search warrant at his home, seizing a desktop computer and external hard drives containing more than 5,400 images and videos depicting child sexual abuse. Investigators found software used for downloading and sharing this content with others. The materials included sadistic content involving bondage, bestiality, as well as assaults on infants and toddlers. Officials determined that Chen had been viewing such material for about twelve years.
The investigation was led by the FBI Cleveland Division with support from both the Circleville Police Department and Hudson Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Margaret Kane prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices aiming to combat child sexual exploitation online by bringing together federal, state, and local resources for apprehending offenders as well as identifying victims.
Members of the public can report suspected child exploitation at cybertipline.org or by calling 1-800-843-5678 at any time.
