30-01-2025
Former Ohio firefighter, foster dad sentenced in sexual explotation case
TOLEDO, Ohio – A former Ohio firefighter, foster parent and father of biological children was sentenced Thursday on child sexual exploitation charges.
Jeremy Dean Chesser, 42, of Maumee, Ohio, was sentenced to 30 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release by U.S. District Judge James R. Knepp, II after he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually exploiting minors by means of production of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), and the receipt and distribution of CSAM. He was also ordered to pay $21,000 in restitution and $15,300 in assessments.
At the time of the offenses, Chesser worked as a firefighter and was also a father to 10 children including biological, adopted, and foster children.
In 2022, he sexually exploited a two-year-old and produced CSAM of the toddler, according to investigators, and from 2022-2023, Chesser sexually exploited a second minor who was 13-14 years old.
Investigators say Chessner sought the minor out online, pretending to be a 16-year-old boy, and proceeded to convince the minor that they were in a relationship. Chesser then induced that minor to produce and send him sexually explicit photos.
After a search of Chessner's home, investigators found a 'large volume' of CSAM involving 65 other minors and that he had been distributing CSAM for over 10 years.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI-Toledo Field Office, FBI-New Haven, Connecticut Field Office, and the Maumee Police Department.
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