Cuyahoga County Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for Downloading and Distributing Child Pornography

CLEVELAND - A Cuyahoga County man was sentenced to federal prison for committing crimes involving Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM).

Anthony C. Hayes Jr., 44, of Maple Heights, Ohio, was sentenced to 108 months (9 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge J. Philip Calabrese, after pleading guilty in April to Receipt and Distribution of Visual Depictions of Real Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct. He was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release after imprisonment.

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, Hayes was identified during an investigation into suspected illegal downloads of child pornography via multiple peer-to-peer file sharing programs. Investigators found that for nearly a year, Hayes was actively sharing CSAM with others through peer-to-peer programs.

During a search warrant executed at Hayes' residence, his devices were seized and analyzed. Investigators determined that more than 3,000 CSAM files were located on his computer. Much of the illegal content he shared were videos depicting the rape and torture of children as young as four years old. Several videos showed children being sexually abused for more than an hour.

The investigation leading to the indictment was led by the FBI Cleveland Field Office.

Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer J. King led the prosecution 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/PSC.

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.