A Waterville, Ohio resident has been sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for offenses related to the sexual exploitation of children. United States District Judge Cristina D. Silva delivered the sentence to Todd Maxson, 56, who engaged with minors on social media platforms and coerced them into producing and sending him child sexual abuse material.
Court documents reveal that Maxson initiated communication with a 14-year-old girl from Nevada on September 25, 2023, using Telegram, a messaging application. Between September 25 and October 19, 2023, he ordered and paid for explicit images and videos through Cash App. Furthermore, Maxson targeted females exhibiting suicidal or depressive behaviors and encouraged them to create content involving self-harm. He facilitated these actions by sending knives to aid in the production of such videos.
In October 2024, Maxson pleaded guilty to charges including sexual exploitation of children, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. Under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, he is required to register as a sex offender.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Sue Fahami for the District of Nevada and FBI Las Vegas Division Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI with Assistant United States Attorney Afroza Yeasmin prosecuting the case. The prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—a Justice Department initiative launched in May 2006 aiming to combat child sexual exploitation nationwide.
For more details on Project Safe Childhood or if you have information about suspected child sexual exploitation, visit www.justice.gov/psc or contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or online at https://report.cybertip.org.