Repeat Offender Sentenced to 222 Months for Distribution of Child Pornography

Portland, Ore. – Portland resident Travis Jay Grygla, 27, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Ancer L. Haggerty to serve 222 months in prison after conviction on two cases of child pornography.  Grygla was sentenced following his guilty plea on June 9, 2008 to distribution of child pornography, which he committed while he was on supervised release for a 2001 conviction for possession of child pornography.
           
In November of 2006, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Agent in Montana, while conducting an undercover chat session on the Internet, learned that someone using an Internet Protocol (IP) address in Oregon was distributing child pornography by use of an F-serve (file transfer server).  In January of 2007, Oregon FBI agents working with Task Force officers from Beaverton Police Department connected the IP address to defendant’s girlfriend’s apartment in Portland.  Agents executed a search warrant on the girlfriend’s computer and discovered over 660 images of child pornography and the F-serve software.  At defendant’s separate residence they discovered about 1,060 images and 185 video files of child pornography on his computer. Defendant was on supervised release at the time for the 2001 federal conviction for possession of child pornography, and was a Registered Sex Offender because of prior state convictions for encouraging child sex abuse (as an adult) and attempted sexual abuse of a minor (as a juvenile).

U.S. Attorney Karin J. Immergut stated that, “The severe sentence in this case demonstrates how seriously we regard cases involving images of children being sexually abused. The defendant apparently failed to get this message the first time he was prosecuted for this kind of crime.” 

"Cases such as this one show that we work best when we work together," said David Ian Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon. "FBI agents throughout the country are committed to keeping those responsible for child pornography off our streets. When we combine forces with local police departments, we become that much more effective in protecting our shared communities."

The U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to prosecute cases such as these as part of Project Safe Childhood.  In February 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was investigated by the FBI in Oregon and Montana, with assistance from the Beaverton Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Deits.

 

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