WAPAKONETA, Ohio — A Wapakoneta man has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison in a child sexual abuse material case.
Seth Jacob Schwerin (33) of Wapakoneta, was sentenced to 204 months in prison by U.S. District Judge James R. Knepp in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, after pleading guilty to receipt and distribution of child pornography and transportation of child pornography. He was also ordered to serve 15 years of supervised release after imprisonment and to pay $5,000 toward the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
According to court documents cited by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, federal agents were investigating a cybertip about child sexual abuse material files uploaded to an online platform, as well as material distributed to an undercover agent, and Schwerin was subsequently identified. During a search warrant executed at his residence, his electronic devices were seized and forensically examined. Investigators found that on several occasions, from approximately August 2021 to January 2025, Schwerin received, possessed, distributed, and transported images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators also learned that he committed some of the activity during work hours.
The investigation was led by the Homeland Security Investigations Cleveland Office, the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Wapakoneta Police Department, and the Auglaize County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Tracey Ballard Tangeman led the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
One note: the Justice Department release I built this from doesn’t show the exact sentencing date in its text, so I didn’t put a day on it — just the sentence itself. Want any changes to it?
