GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Galesburg man has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for distributing child pornography. He is 41-year-old Chad Kraft.
According to the Department of Justice, Kraft was previously convicted for fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in 2011. He was also convicted in 2015 for failing to register as a sex offender.
In March, law enforcement received a tip that Kraft was living in Galesburg and had sexually explicit images of children on his phone. He had also not registered as a sex offender since May 2021.
After law enforcement seized Kraft’s phone, a forensic examination showed that Kraft had used a messaging application to request and share child pornography. This included videos of children under the age of five being sexually abused.
In addition to 188 months in prison, U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney imposed a 20-year period of supervised release after Kraft’s incarceration. Judge Maloney stated, “it would be an understatement to describe Kraft’s conduct as grotesque.”
“We take very seriously 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.”
“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.”
