Cuyahoga County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Sexual Abuse Charges

AKRON, Ohio - A 35-year-old man has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of sending and receiving Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM) and coercing a purported 14-year-old girl to meet him for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

Michael Strimbu, of Cleveland, pleaded guilty to Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography, and Coercion and Enticement. District Judge John R. Adams accepted Strimbu's plea June 25.

According to court documents and evidence presented to the judge, Strimbu communicated with a purported 14-year-old girl, through a social media application in January. Throughout his sexually explicit communications with her, he expressed interest in meeting her for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts. He was later arrested and taken into custody. During forensic examination of his electronic devices, investigators found hundreds of images and videos depicting real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including prepubescent minors under the age of 12.

Strimbu is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 10. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

A federal district court judge will determine sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case was investigated by the Cuyahoga County Crimes Against Children Task Force-Internet Crimes Against Children, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret A. Kane and Joseph P. Dangelo for the Northern District of Ohio.

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.orgLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link., or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.