State Attorney General credits Mahoning Sheriff’s Office after child porn convictions of two men

Ohio State Attorney General Dave Yost credited the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office for the conviction of two men for child pornography-related charges.

Yost’s office issued a press release Friday highlighting the efforts of the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force on the case. The task force, operating under the Sheriff’s Office, was created to investigate and arrest those who engage in sexual deviancy, such as child pornography.

“Sheriff Jerry Greene’s task force is the tip of the spear when it comes to fighting the perversion that fuels human trafficking,” Yost said. “So far this month, the task force has made 19 arrests, some involving repeat offenders. This is a sobering reminder that we can’t afford to take our foot off the gas pedal in the fight against this scourge.”

Who were the individuals recently sentenced to prison on child porn charges?

The investigations in the task force aided the sentencing of Mattew Gingrich, 33, and Joseph Frye, 35, who both engaged in creating, buying and selling child pornography.

Gingrich, an Austintown resident, was sentenced to four years in prison on June 13 after pleading guilty to several counts of child pornography-related charges. The task force started their investigation after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. After carrying out a search warrant, they found Gingrich in possession of the illegal multimedia.

Joseph Frye of East Liverpool was sentenced to 32 years in prison on June 20 after pleading guilty to several charges of creating and distributing child pornography. The task force found a significant amount of illegal explicit material on Frye’s personal electronic devices that he had traded online. Frye had previous convictions of disseminating a nude photograph of a minor.

Both men will be required to register as Tier II sex offenders upon release.

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