Source: United States Attorneys General
Headline: Ohio Man Sentenced to 300 Months in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Children
BOISE – Timothy Raymond Schmidt, 35, of Cincinnati, Ohio was sentenced today in
United States District Court to 300 months in prison followed by lifetime supervised release, for
sexual exploitation of children, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced.
According to the plea agreement, from January 28 to April 9 of 2015, the defendant,
while in the State of Ohio, used Skype to communicate with two minor victims, ages seventeen
and thirteen, located in Valley County, Idaho. On at least 12 occasions, the defendant persuaded,
induced, and coerced the seventeen year-old victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct over
live Skype video transmissions. On at least 11 occasions, the defendant persuaded, induced, and
coerced the thirteen year-old victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct over live Skype video
transmissions.
The defendant’s conduct was discovered by adult relatives of the victims and reported to
the Valley County Sheriff’s Office. The case was referred to Homeland Security Investigations
(HSI) and the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force. ICAC detectives
examined the victim’s computer and discovered 33,000 lines of archived Skype chats between
the defendant and both victims, sexually explicit images of both victims, and images of the
defendant. Within the chats, the defendant provided personal identifying information to the
victims, including his name, hometown, his place of work, where he went to college, and a
description of his tattoos. ICAC detectives were also able to identify two locations in Ohio from
where the defendant had engaged in the chats.
In May of 2016, HSI Agents from Idaho and Ohio served a search warrant at one of the
locations in Ohio from where the Skype communications originated. Agents determined that the
defendant currently resided there. They seized computers belonging to the defendant from the
residence.
HSI Agents also contacted a resident of the second location in Ohio where Skype
communications originated from, and confirmed that the defendant had previously stayed at the
residence. Agents observed items in the residence that were consistent with items the victims
reported observing in the background of the defendant’s live chats, including a Darth Vader
statue and model airplanes hanging from the ceiling. An HSI forensic examiner examined the
defendant’s computers and discovered evidence that both had been used to communicate with
the victims via Skype.
Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Schmidt to forfeit two laptop
computers used in the commission of the charged offense. As a result of his conviction, Schmidt
will be required to register as a sex offender.
“It’s so important that people realize the reach of online predators. Parents who are
concerned about sexual predators living in the neighborhood should be equally concerned about
online sexual predators living in other states or countries,” U.S. Attorney Davis said. “I
commend the federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, who work so
hard to catch and bring to justice online sex offenders like Mr. Schmidt.” Davis continued.
“This sentence should serve as a powerful reminder to child sex offenders who
mistakenly believe that their actions on the internet or social networks will be undetected by law
enforcement,” said Brad Bench, special agent in charge of HSI Seattle. “HSI works closely with
its federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in Idaho, and across the globe, to hold
accountable those who victimize our vulnerable children.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Idaho Internet
Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Valley County Sheriff’s Office. The 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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and
Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate,
apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue
victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click
on the tab “resources.”