2 local men sentenced to federal prison for child pornography crimes

DAYTON, Ohio – A Shelby County man and a Miami County man were sentenced in federal court in Dayton this week for possessing and distributing child pornography.

Brian Clark, 47, of Troy, Ohio, was sentenced on Dec. 7 to 120 months in prison for possession of child pornography with a prior offense. Aaron Smith, 31, of Sidney, Ohio, was sentenced on Dec. 9 to 90 months in prison for distribution of child pornography.

According to court documents, Clark, who had previously been convicted as a sex offender, collected sexually explicit images of children from 2015 until his arrest in June 2020. Clark possessed approximately 250 images of child pornography. His collection included images of prepubescent children including toddlers, and included depictions of rape, sexual abuse, and sadism. He pleaded guilty in March 2021 to possessing the child pornography images.

Court documents detail that Smith amassed a collection of 773 images and 1,670 videos of child pornography. Those images and videos included infants and toddlers and depictions of rape, sexual abuse, bestiality, and sadism. Smith traded child pornography images with others online and discussed his enjoyment of the material with them. Smith pleaded guilty in September 2021 to distributing child pornography.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Troy Police Chief Shawn McKinney announced the sentences imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Walter H. Rice. Assistant United States Attorney Christina E. Mahy is representing the United States in this case.

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