Brian Ray, 46 years old, of Angola, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to distribution of child sexual abuse material, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Ray was sentenced to 194 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, between March and April 2023, Ray distributed images of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

The Department of Homeland Security investigated this case with assistance from the Indiana State Police, the Steuben County Indiana Sheriff’s Office, the Angola, Indiana Police Department, and the Ashley, Indiana Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney Lesley J. Miller Lowery prosecuted the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse.

Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.