Jefferson County Man Pleads Guilty To Receiving Child Pornography

COLUMBUS – Ryan D. Kasler, 31, of Mt. Pleasant, Ohio pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to one count of illegal receipt of child pornography. The plea agreement provides for a sentence of 180 months in prison.

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Dugan T. Wong, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and William Hayes, acting special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Ohio and Michigan, announced the plea entered today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King.  

According to testimony presented during the plea hearing, Kasler was identified during an investigation by Postal Inspectors into subjects who received child pornography through the U.S. Mail. Records indicated Kasler bought 17 separate videos or photo collections through the mail.

Investigators executed a search warrant at Kasler’s home in December 2012 and seized videos, a computer and storage media containing child pornography. Agents arrested Kasler, who has been in custody since his arrest.

The court will conduct a pre-sentence investigation prior to deciding whether or not to accept the terms of the plea agreement. If, after viewing the presentence investigation report, the Court is unwilling to accept this plea agreement due to this binding recommendation on the appropriate sentence, either party may withdraw from the provisions of this plea agreement, the defendant may withdraw his plea of guilty, and the case will proceed to trial. If the court accepts the terms of the plea agreement, a date for sentencing will be set.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the U.S. Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better 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/.

Stewart commended the cooperative investigation by Postal Inspectors and HSI agents, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Hill, who is representing the United States in this case.