Lincoln Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Receipt of Child Pornography

United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Jeffrey Ehlers, 67, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on October 22, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln for receipt of child pornography following a prior conviction. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Ehlers to 180 months' imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Ehlers's release from prison, he will begin a lifetime term of supervised release. Ehlers was additionally ordered to pay $2,000 which will contribute to funds established for victims of these types of cases.

In November of 2025, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Orlando was investigating cybertips related to another individual. During the investigation, they discovered that their suspect sent child pornography to an individual in Nebraska through an online account. That case was then referred to HSI in Nebraska and Ehlers was identified as the individual receiving child pornography in Nebraska. A review of Ehlers's online account revealed numerous files of minor females.

A residential search warrant was executed at his home on December 16, 2025. Three electronic devices were seized from the residence. A forensic review was completed of each device revealing that each device contained some child pornography. Approximately 330 child pornography files were located across all three devices.

Ehlers was previously convicted on November 27, 2019, in the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska for one count of receipt of child pornography. Ehlers was sentenced to 84 months imprisonment with 12 years of supervised release to follow. He was on supervised release when this investigation began.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.