Union County Man Sentenced To Four Years In Prison For Possession Of Child Pornography

Todd R. German, 51, of Richwood, Ohio was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 48 months in prison for possessing more than 10,000 images and 200 videos of child pornography. German was a fire service instructor at the Delaware Career Center.

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Kevin R. Cornelius, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office (FBI) and Delaware County Sheriff Russell L. Martin announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Peter C. Economus.   

According to court documents, German left his job at the Delaware Career Center in March 2012. The day after he left, another employee found a thumb drive in German’s desk, placed it in a computer and found hundreds of images of child pornography. The employee contacted school officials who called the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office.

In April 2012, investigators executed a search warrant at German’s residence and found an external drive connected to his computer. A forensic examination of the external drive yielded more than 10,000 images and 222 videos of suspected child pornography. The investigation determined that the victims were from at least 17 different states and 7 different countries. German pleaded guilty in March, 2013 to one count of possession of child pornography.

“He basically had the American dream in every aspect of his life -- a long marriage, children, grandchildren, health, a meaningful career, respect of community, home ownership, and material possessions,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah A. Solove wrote in a memorandum filed with the court prior to sentencing. “Although he has lost much of that through his actions that led to this case, he appears to be working on the child pornography issues and says he is grateful to have the opportunity to try address these issues that have troubled him throughout his life.”

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/.

U.S. Attorney Stewart commended the investigation by FBI agents and Sheriff’s detectives, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah Solove, who prosecuted the case.