West Virginia man arrested for producing child pornography
WHEELING, W.V. — A Weirton, West Virginia, man was arrested March 13 for production of child pornography charges stemming from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigation.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia William J. Ihlenfeld, II, and HSI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge John Kelleghan announced charges against Robert J. Gongloff.
Gongloff, 25, originally from Terra Alta, West Virginia, is alleged to have produced numerous images and videos depicting nude minors and minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Gongloff is also alleged to have misrepresented his name and age on a website known as MeetMe.com, claiming to be 17 years old and using the name “Johnny Williamson,” in order to transmit sexually explicit photographs to minor females.
HSI requests that anyone with knowledge of this man’s unsupervised contact with minors contact the agency by calling the 24-hour HSI Tip line at 1-866-DHS-2ICE.
The public can also submit an online tip at http://www.ice.gov/tips or by downloading the Operation Predator smartphone app and submitting a tip via the app.
“What this man is charged with is one of the most heinous crimes in our society,” said Kelleghan. “HSI is committed to aggressively pursuing those who create or trade child pornography. It’s our job to protect the most vulnerable members of our society.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Vogrin is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. HSI is leading the investigation with assistance from the West Virginia State Police.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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 10,000 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 2014, more than 2,300 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 Predatorsmartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.
HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.
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