CLEVELAND – A 59-year-old Chinese national has been sentenced to federal prison for possession and distribution of child pornography.Tong Chen, residing in Hudson, was sentenced to 160 months (13 years and three months) in prison by U.S. District Judge Christopher A Boyko, after pleading guilty in December 2025 to Receipt and Distribution of Visual Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct, and Possession of Child Pornography or Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM). He was also ordered to serve 15 years of supervised release after imprisonment and pay $67,500 in restitution. Chen also faces deportation from the United States upon completion of his sentence.According to court documents, in May 2024, federal agents began an investigation after the Circleville Police Department identified suspected CSAM linked to the defendant’s Summit County residence.
In July 2024, agents executed a federal search warrant at Chen’s residence and seized a desktop computer and external hard drives. During forensic analysis of these items, agents located more than 5,400 CSAM images and videos, as well as a software program capable of downloading and sharing the sexually explicit content with others. The recovered images were sadistic and masochistic in nature and included bondage, bestiality, and infants and toddlers being assaulted. Investigators determined that Chen had been viewing CSAM for approximately 12 years.The FBI Cleveland Division led this investigation with assistance from the Circleville Police Department and Hudson Police Department.Assistant United States Attorney Margaret Kane for the Northern District of Ohio was responsible for prosecuting this matter.This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/PSC.To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.