District of Columbia | Canadian National pleads guilty to possessing sexual abuse videos of toddler and prepubescent boys

WASHINGTON – Matthew Norman Ballek, 32, of Saskatchewan, Canada, pleaded guilty today to a federal charge of child pornography stemming from his distribution of child pornography to an undercover law enforcement agent in January 2024, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced; FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist, of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber ​​Division; and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Ballek has pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of possession of child pornography. The Honorable Reggie B. Walton scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 21, 2025.

According to plea documents, a member of the FBI-MPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force conducted undercover surveillance of an online dating application in January 2024. Law enforcement has learned that the application is sometimes used by individuals who have a sexual interest in children. Ballek contacted the undercover officer and, believing he was communicating with a pedophile, expressed an interest in child pornography. Ballek later sent the undercover officer three video files through an encrypted messaging application. Those video files showed adult men raping toddlers and prepubescent boys. Ballek was arrested on February 7, 2024 in the District of Columbia. The FBI seized Ballek’s phone and examined it forensically. This contained ten unique videos and at least 21 unique still images that constitute child pornography.

Ballek has been in custody since his arrest on February 7, 2024.

Ballek faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 fine. In addition, Ballek must pay mandatory restitution of at least $3,000 to each identified victim. The statutory penalties for federal violations are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only. Each sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

In addition, Ballek will be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to deportation proceedings and other adverse immigration consequences following a prison sentence.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. attorneys’ offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood deploys federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children online. and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and MPD’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force consists of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and investigators from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals involved in the exploitation of children and those involved in human trafficking.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul V. Courtney and Karen L. Shinskie.

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