Topeka sex offender sentenced for possessing child pornography

TOPEKA, KAN. - A convicted sex offender was sentenced to 151 months in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Joshua Craig Abel was also sentenced to five years in prison for a violation of supervised release. A federal judge ordered the sentences to run consecutive to one another.

According to court documents, a federal jury convicted Abel, 44, of Topeka of one count of sexual exploitation of a minor - possession of child pornography.

In April 2023, a person in the woods on private land found several storage containers covered with camouflage netting. Among the items in the containers were cellphones, computers, external hard drives, and mail addressed to Joshua Abel. Soon after the discovery, the contents were turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Forensic experts found over 28,000 images and 850 videos of CSAM.

Abel stood trial in December 2025, and a jury found him guilty.

Abel was previously convicted of distribution of child pornography in February of 2011 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. He was found to have distributed approximately 3,900 CSAM images in that case.

"After previously being prosecuted for distributing CSAM, Mr. Able tried to hide his stash of perverse material in the woods not caring that it could be stumbled upon by anyone," said U.S Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. "Thankfully, a responsible person did the right thing by reporting the discovery to the proper authorities so this illegal activity could be brought to justice. If you see something, please say something to law enforcement."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Walton prosecuted the case.

Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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