Leonard Samiia, a 32-year-old resident of Wapakoneta, Ohio, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for producing child pornography. He is also required to register as a sex offender.
Court documents reveal that on February 20, 2023, Samiia engaged a minor victim from the Southern District of West Virginia through an instant messaging service. He persuaded the minor to send explicit images and sent them back to her using the same platform.
Samiia confessed to instructing the minor on how to pose for these images. He further admitted threatening her with sharing these images online, including messages stating “(h)ave fun with these pics being posted now,” and threats about posting them on platforms like Facebook and Snapchat as well as her school website. Additionally, he threatened physical harm against the minor and her family.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston who praised the efforts of the West Virginia State Police and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The sentence was delivered by United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Holly Wilson.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. This project brings together federal, state, and local resources to apprehend offenders exploiting children via the internet while rescuing victims.
For more details about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc. Further information regarding this case can be found under Case No. 2:24-cr-18 on PACER or on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website for the Southern District of West Virginia.