Indiana man sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempted sexual exploitation of minor

Elliott Gruss, 34, of Ossian, Indiana, has been sentenced to 180 months in prison after pleading guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of a minor. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady and announced by U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Gruss’ sentence includes five years of conditional release following his prison sentence.

Court documents allege that between September and October 2019, Gruss attempted to engage, use, entice, and coerce a minor into sexually explicit conduct to create visual depictions.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation with assistance from the Allen County Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley J. Miller Lowery prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to protect children from exploitation and abuse. The program coordinates the efforts of federal, state, and local agencies to investigate and prosecute those who exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood is available at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.