Georgia Man Sentenced to Prison for Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material

ATHENS, Ga. – A Watkinsville, Georgia, man who was convicted by a federal jury for possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material was sentenced to serve more than eleven years in prison for his crime.

Eric Paul Krumm, 47, was sentenced to serve 134 months in prison to be followed by 25 years of supervised release and $18,000 in restitution to the victims by U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal on May 4. Krumm will have to register as a sex offender upon his release from federal prison. Krumm was found guilty by a federal jury on April 27, 2022, of two counts of distribution of child sexual abuse material and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material. There is no parole in the federal system.

“We will not stop pursing justice on behalf of children victimized by criminal online predators,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Creating, distributing, downloading and viewing child sexual assault material are heinous crimes that yield federal consequences.”

“The GBI will continue to work tirelessly to protect innocent victims. No child should be subject to online exploitation. As we work with our law enforcement agency partners and prosecutors, we are ensuring that predators like this defendant are held accountable,” said GBI Director Michael Register.

In 2016, Athens-Clarke County Police Department (ACCPD) began an investigation into downloads of suspected child sexual abuse material that returned to Krumm. Following that initial finding, ACCPD obtained 204 images and two videos of child sexual abuse material linking back to Krumm’s IP address. The child sexual abuse material depicted prepubescent girls and included sexual assault and molestation. A search warrant was executed by the GBI at Krumm’s residence on Feb. 15, 2017, and eleven electronics were seized, including laptops and hard drives. 56 images and one movie file found on Krumm’s electronics depicting child sexual abuse material were submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) for comparison to the Child Recognition and Identification System (CRIS).

Krumm, a former systems administrator for a multinational corporation, downloaded and distributed child sexual abuse material via a peer-to-peer file sharing network. GBI investigators conducted an extensive forensic examination of Krumm’s electronics, which led to the discovery of the evidence of his distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material. 

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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by Athens-Clarke County Police Department and GBI, with assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Solis prosecuted the case.