A Lucas County resident, Steven Nowak, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for distributing child sexual abuse materials. U.S. District Judge James R. Knepp handed down the sentence on March 3 after Nowak pleaded guilty in September 2025 to receipt and distribution of child pornography.
Nowak, 55, of Toledo, Ohio, was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release following his imprisonment and pay $18,000 in restitution.
Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began investigating online groups trafficking child sexual abuse materials between January and April 2025. During this period, Nowak was identified as an active member sharing explicit content involving children. Authorities executed a search warrant at his home and seized electronic devices containing numerous images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of minors, including infants and toddlers. According to court documents, Nowak admitted to sharing photos of a minor family member online to seek engagement from others in these groups.
“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,” according to the press release.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Sara Al-Sorghali prosecuted the case for the Northern District of Ohio.
Reports of child exploitation can be made at cybertipline.org or by calling 1-800-843-5678 at any time.
