CLEVELAND – A 34-year-old, previously convicted sex offender, was sentenced to prison for producing child pornography and hosting a server dedicated to trafficking in child pornography.
Gareth S. Schakel, of Lakewood, was sentenced to 312 months (26 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge J. Philip Calabrese, after pleading guilty Jan. 8, to the following charges in the indictment:
Sexual Exploitation of Children, Receipt and Distribution of Visual Depictions of Real Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct, and Possession of Child Pornography, or Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM). He was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release after imprisonment and pay $52,000 in restitution to victims. Judge Calabrese imposed sentence on April 16.
In 2023, Schakel produced CSAM on a server he hosted out of his Lakewood home. He created an “invite only” platform to share explicit content with other child predators. In April 2023, agents located hundreds of CSAM files when executing a search warrant of Schakel’s electronic devices. These files included sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, torture and rape of prepubescent children, and bestiality. The investigation also revealed a 15-year-old victim whom Schakel was sexually exploiting in the spring of 2023. Schakel enticed the minor into sending him sexually graphic content of herself. He also sent her sexually explicit photos of himself. Investigators learned that Schakel had a previous state conviction for pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor in 2011 as well as convictions for failing to register as a sex offender.
The investigation was led by the FBI Cleveland Division and the Ohio Adult Parole Authority.
Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer J. King for the Northern District Ohio led the prosecution.
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.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Northern District of Ohio — U.S. Department of Justice press release.