TOLEDO, Ohio — A 52-year-old Toledo man is guilty on federal charges of having and distributing child porn, according to court records released by the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio on Friday. Law enforcement officials also found that Derran Reebel used social media for a number of years to chat with minors and send them explicit messages and photos of himself.
Court documents show that Reebel received and distributed child porn for nearly eight years - from Jan. 1, 2014, to Aug. 17, 2022.
A search warrant executed at his residence revealed numerous books, magazines, periodicals, films and videos that contained images and movies of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, according to investigators.
According to court documents, the case came to light on Aug. 9, 2022, when the husband of Reebel's ex-wife contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation to report that he had learned Reebel allegedly engaged in sexually explicit online and text message conversations with purported 14- and 15-year-old girls in which Reebel discussed plans to meet with the minor girls for sex.
The purported 14-year-old girl (“Jordyn”) and the purported 15-year-old girl (“Summer”) in fact were fictional personas created by “Caught and Exposed 419, a Facebook account associated with an organization made up of a group of individuals who seek to “spread awareness of online child predators.”
Caught and Exposed 419 provided to the husband of Reebel's ex-wife pictures and chat logs between a male participant alleged to be Reebel and the two fictional minor personas.
The FBI reviewed this information and compared the pictures sent by the male participant with Reebel's most recent Bureau of Motor Vehicles photograph, before concluding Reebel appeared to be the man depicted in the photographs provided by Caught and Exposed 419.
The FBI later interviewed the “founder [of] and primary individual” involved in Caught and Exposed 419. The founder stated he was the individual communicating with Reebel as "Jordyn" and "Summer" and provided the agent with “evidence . . . of detailed knowledge” of the chats with Reebel.
Further investigation revealed that Reebel had been fired from his job working for a local optometrist, after the mother of a 17-year-old patient provided the optometrist with screenshots of messages Reebel sent to her minor daughter. The FBI confirmed the optometrist fired Reebel for contacting the minor patient.
Subsequently, the FBI also reviewed a copy of a report from the Findlay Police Department, which was prepared after the minor patient's mother filed a complaint with the police about Reebel's communications with her daughter.
A search warrant was obtained for Reebel's home based upon suspected violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2442(b), which prohibits any person from knowingly persuading, inducing, or enticing anyone under the age of 18 years to engage in any sexual activity for which a person can be charged with a criminal offense.
Magistrate Judge Darrell A. Clay concluded probable cause existed and issued the search warrant on Aug. 17, 2022. Agents executed the search warrant the following day and seized various pieces of evidence, including three electronic devices found to contain child pornography.
Reebel then was charged with one count of coercion and enticement and one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography.
Sentencing has not been scheduled for Reebel. He faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI Toledo office and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara Al-Sorghali and Frank Spryszak for the Northern District of Ohio.
To report child exploitation, visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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