GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney Mark Totten announced that on October 21, 2022, Chad Kraft, 41, of Galesburg, was sentenced to 188 months in prison for distributing child pornography. U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney also imposed a 20-year period of supervised release to follow Kraft’s incarceration. Judge Maloney stated, “it would be an understatement to describe Kraft’s conduct as grotesque.”
“We take very seriously the crimes of viewing, receiving, and sharing images of children being sexually abused,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “My office will continue to aggressively pursue those who contribute to the serial abuse of children through the distribution of child pornography.”
Kraft’s conviction followed his 2011 state conviction for fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and his 2015 federal conviction for failing to register as a sex offender. Kraft also had a history of using aliases, different dates of birth, and different Social Security numbers to avoid registration and evade detection. In March 2022, law enforcement received a tip that Kraft, who had not registered as a sex offender since May 2021, was residing in Galesburg and had sexually explicit images of children on his phone. Law enforcement seized Kraft’s phone and a forensic examination showed that Kraft used a messaging application to request and share child pornography, including videos of children under the age of five being sexually abused.
“This case highlights the important role our community members play in bringing predators like Kraft to justice,” said HSI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Angie Salazar. “By seeing something and speaking up, we can all work to end the victimization of innocent children.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Townshend.
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