Lawrence County man sentenced to 30 years in prison for creating child pornography of sexual abuse of toddler

CINCINNATI - Robert Grimmett, 25, of South Point, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 360 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for creating child pornography of his sexual abuse of a toddler.

"Thanks to swift work and international coordination by our HSI colleagues, this defendant-who posed an active threat to a toddler-was in handcuffs in a matter of hours," said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. "I am grateful to the agents of HSI and to our prosecution team for saving this child from further abuse at the hands of Grimmett, who will now serve 30 years behind bars."

According to court documents, on May 28, 2025, HSI Netherlands received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding newly produced child sexual abuse materials.

Account data for the Kik application used to distribute the child pornography led investigators to Grimmett. His Facebook photos also confirmed his identity as the same man featured in the child sexual abuse materials.

Within one day of HSI Netherlands receiving the cyber tip, HSI Cincinnati obtained and executed a search warrant at Grimmett's home and Grimmett was subsequently arrested.

Grimmett pleaded guilty in September 2025.

Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew W. McFarland. Executive Assistant United States Attorney Christy L. Muncy is representing the United States in this case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney's Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.

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