Two men indicted for child pornography offenses

Two Northwest Ohio men was indicted for receiving and distributing child pornography.

Michael D. Butler, 50, of Defiance, received and distributed in 2015 numerous computer files containing images of children in sexually explicit conduct, according to the indictment.

Michael S. Crawford, 63, of Gomer, received and distributed numerous computer files containing images of children in sexually explicit conduct between 2014 and 2018, according to the indictment.

Their cases are unrelated.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

The investigating agency in these cases is the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The cases are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas P. Weldon and Tracey Ballard Tangeman.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.