Ohio Man Sentenced for Child Pornography Offense

BOSTON - An Ohio man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Thiago da Silva Pinheiro, 44, of Cincinnati, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to five years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. On Jan. 12, 2024, Pinheiro pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.

On Sept. 20, 2022, Pinheiro flew from Ontario, Canada to Boston with an ultimate destination of Brazil. During screening at Logan Airport, customs officers observed CSAM on Pinheiro's tablet and phone. There were thousands of CSAM files on Pinheiro's seized electronic devices depicting children as young as two years old.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan C. Cleary and Jessica L. Soto of the Office's Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

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 the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the DOJ's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.