Kansas man sentenced to 8 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography

WICHITA, Kan. — A Southeastern Kansas man was sentenced in federal court Thursday to 96 months in prison for distributing child pornography.

This sentence resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Wichita Police Department.

John Tyler Gariglietti, 32, of Pittsburg, Kansas, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography.

In his plea, he admitted he used a computer in his Pittsburg home to access a peer-to-peer file-sharing network to obtain pornographic materials. He stored images of child pornography on his computer and these images were available to other users on the network. He told investigators he had been collecting child pornography since 2011.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.