Ohio Man, 67, Sentenced to 20 Years for Child Sex Abuse Material Production

Ohio Man, 67, Sentenced to 20 Years for Child Sex Abuse Material Production

A 67-year-old Ohio man, Gary Hastler, has been handed a 20-year prison sentence for producing child sex abuse material, according to a recent federal court ruling. Hastler, from Delaware, Ohio, was found guilty of exploiting a child in Idaho, and his sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford.

The investigation into Hastler’s activities began when a teenage victim disclosed to the Boise Police Department (BPD) that she had been repeatedly abused by Hastler during the summer of 2022. BPD learned that Hastler had also abused another child in Ohio, and while investigating that case, the Delaware Police Department discovered explicit images of the Idaho victim on Hastler’s cellphone.

BPD then obtained a federal search warrant for the cellphone, which confirmed that Hastler had produced sexually explicit images of the Idaho victim while at a hotel in Boise. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho, in partnership with the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the Delaware Police Department, worked together to bring Hastler to justice.

U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit commended the cooperative efforts of the various law enforcement agencies involved in the case. “This case demonstrates the national reach of our efforts to bring to justice those who abuse and exploit children,” he said. “The partnerships we have in Idaho are effective at identifying sex offenders, and we will track them down wherever they may be.”

Hastler will also be required to register as a sex offender for life, following his release from prison. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kassandra McGrady prosecuted the case, which was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. This is just one example of the many cases being pursued by law enforcement agencies across the country to protect children from exploitation and abuse.