Columbiana County Man Sentenced to More than 12 Years in Prison after Pleading Guilty to Child Sexual Abuse Content Charges

CLEVELAND - A 44-year-old Columbiana County man has been sentenced to prison for using a social media platform to receive and distribute images and videos of children being sexually abused.

Myrl M. Reynolds Jr., of Wellsville, Ohio, has been sentenced to 151 months (12 years and six months) in prison by U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Gaughan, after pleading guilty in December 2025 to Receipt and Distribution of Visual Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct, and to Possession of Child Pornography, also known as Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM). He was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release after imprisonment and pay $13,000 in restitution.

According to court documents, investigators found that Reynolds used a social media platform to connect with others to trade CSAM and have discussion about sexual abuse of children. However, some of those he connected with were, in fact, undercover federal agents. In one instance, Reynolds bragged to an undercover agent that he sexually abused a 10-year-old minor and that he was interested in "younger/incest" pornography. Separate from those interactions, the social media platform received cyber tip reports after nearly 70 CSAM files were flagged for being trafficked by Reynolds.

Reynolds' electronic devices were seized during a search warrant execution, and he was found to possess nearly 500 CSAM images and videos. His files included the sexual abuse of infants and the torture and rape of prepubescent children. Investigators also found evidence that he specifically sought out children through the social media platform to discuss his sexual fantasies.

The investigation leading to the indictment was led by the FBI Youngstown Resident Agency.

Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer J. King for the Northern District Ohio prosecuted the case.

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.