Cleveland man sentenced to 51 months for distributing child pornography

U.S. District Judge Curtis L. Collier sentenced Erik Szczesh, 28, of Cleveland, to 51 months in prison on Thursday for charges related to distributing child pornography, according to a press release from the office of William C. Killian, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Additionally, upon his eventual release from prison, Szczesh will be under supervision of the U.S. parole office for ten years, according to the press release. He will face special conditions of release, such as restricted access to children and the internet.

The release said Szczesh was initially arrested after they found text conversations between him and another individual, sharing photos of children walking to and from school, and discussing abusing children. Police then searched Szczesh's own phone and found 403 pornographic photos of children as well as 7 videos. Under current law, that comes to the total of 928 images.

When initially questioned by police, Szczesh immediately confessed and agreed to pay restitution in an amount of $500.00 per victim, for a total of $3,000.

The indictment and conviction were part of a broader FBI investigation, according to the press release.

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