Repeat offender sentenced to more than 17 years on child pornography charges

CLEVELAND - A 51-year-old Kingsville, Ohio man was sentenced to 210 months in prison for transportation of child pornography charges following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

James Degelau was arrested in 2008 when trying to cross into Canada from Michigan and was found to be in possession of a laptop computer containing images of child pornography.

Cleveland-based HSI special agents subsequently executed a search warrant at his home where they found additional child pornography on Degelau's home computer.

Degelau had previously been convicted in 1986 for pornography involving juveniles in Louisiana, in which he was charged for photographing the sexual abuse of two minors.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.