Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
David Walker, 39, of Akron, Ohio, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Bridget Meehan Brennan after pleading guilty to charges related to the receipt, possession, and distribution of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), also referred to as child pornography. Following his prison term, Walker will be subject to 15 years of supervised release.
Walker was an active participant on BitTorrent, an internet service that facilitates the sharing of content such as images and videos by using each user's computer as a mini-server. This technology enables large-scale file sharing without system crashes and has been exploited for the distribution of illegal files like CSAM.
Court documents reveal that Walker received and distributed nearly 400 video files containing CSAM. During a federal search warrant execution at his residence, authorities recovered a computer tablet with CSAM files. These files included images and videos of male and female children under 17 years old, including infants and toddlers. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, some victims were identified from the video files found on Walker’s seized device.
The investigation leading up to the indictment was conducted by the FBI in collaboration with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office and the Brunswick Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Yasmine Makridis prosecuted the case for the Northern District of Ohio.
To report child sexual abuse, individuals can visit cybertipline.org or call 1-800-843-5678 at any time.
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