Ohio Babysitter Sentenced to 70 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing Toddlers to Produce Child Pornography

CLEVELAND - A 26-year-old woman was sentenced to prison after admitting to sexually abusing two children in her care while she was employed as their babysitter and producing videos of the abuse to share with other sexually deviant individuals on social media.

Molly Elisabeth Duncan, of Beachwood, Ohio, was sentenced to 840 months (70 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Pamela A. Barker after pleading guilty in April to:

• Sexual Exploitation of Children (two counts)
• Distribution of Visual Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct
• Possession of Child Pornography, or Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM)

She was also ordered to serve 25 years of supervised release after imprisonment.

She was additionally ordered to pay the following:

• $20,000 toward the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, which was established in 2015 to impose additional assessment to offenders who commit certain crimes, including sexual exploitation and other abuse of children.
• $8,000 toward the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Assistance Act which was established in 2018 to provide monetary assistance for victims of child sexual abuse.

Judge Barker imposed the sentence on July 22.

According to court documents and evidence, the defendant worked as a nanny in Northeast Ohio for the minor victims' families from about November 2023 to July 2024. However, court records also indicate that Duncan worked as a nanny in the Northern District of Ohio for approximately 10 years. Duncan sexually abused one victim in Portage County and another in Geauga County-both under the age of two-and recorded the visual depictions on her cellphone. She then shared the videos with others who also had a sexual interest in children through a social media platform. During a forensic analysis of Duncan's electronic devices, investigators found several CSAM files of each minor victim.

This case was investigated by the Cleveland Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations and the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, with assistance from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office.

Anyone with additional information about this matter is asked to please call the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force at 216-698-3151.

This prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret A. Kane and Michelle M. Baeppler for the Northern District of Ohio.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices throughout the country and 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. To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.orgLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link., or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.