Timothy Lantz, Child Pornography, Ohio 2024

Child pornography charges have marred the reputation of a Columbus, Ohio, resident. Timothy Lantz, 57, of Columbus, Ohio, pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of child pornography and one count of failure to update his sex offender registration in Columbus on June 7, 2024.

During a plea hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark R. Abel, Lantz admitted to transporting and shipping child pornography from Ohio to New York through the Internet and failing to update his sex offender registration. Lantz also admitted to having in his possession multiple computer hard drives containing approximately 1,200 digital videos and 9,000 digital images of one or more minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Lantz further admitted to providing access for others to download his child pornography files either for free or in exchange for other child pornography images.

Lantz is scheduled to be sentence no earlier than 60 days from today and may face a sentence of 180 months in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a life-time term of supervised release. He will be required to continue to be registered as a sex offender in accordance with state and federal law.

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 U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah Solove of the Southern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Mi Yung C. Park of CEOS. The case was investigated by the Cybercrimes Task Force of the FBI's Columbus, Ohio, Field Office and CEOS' High Technology Investigative Unit.

Lantz's case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of child pornography and the importance of vigilant law enforcement in bringing perpetrators to justice.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/ohio-man-pleads-guilty-child-pornography-charges