Ohio Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Thousands of Child Sex Abuse Files
CLEVELAND / Wednesday, January 14, 2026 – A 52-year-old Lorain County man who trafficked a high-volume of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) has been sentenced to prison.
Robert L. Scarvelli, of Sheffield Lake, Ohio, has been sentenced to 107 months (8 years and 9 months) in prison by U.S. District Judge David A. Ruiz, after he pleaded guilty in September 2025 to receipt and distribution of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He was also ordered to serve 15 years of supervised release after imprisonment and pay $5,000 in restitution to a victim of his crimes.
According to court documents, from about June 6 to August 31, 2024, Scarvelli was engaged in knowingly receiving and distributing, and possessing digital files of children as they were being sexually abused. During a search warrant execution of Scarvelli’s residence, federal agents seized several electronic devices containing thousands of images and videos of CSAM. Many of these files included sadistic and masochistic depictions of children under the age of 12 or the exploitation of infants and toddlers. More than 100 videos were recordings of children being sexually abused for 10 minutes or longer. One video file showed a child being sexually abused for nearly one hour.
The investigation leading to the indictment was conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division.
The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer J. King for the Northern District of Ohio.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information, about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/PSC.
To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Contact
Jessica Salas Novak
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio
