A German national working in an IT position for the German military in northern Virginia has been sentenced to six years and six months in prison for downloading child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Peter Markus Kuttke, 49, a resident of Reston, Virginia, confessed to receiving CSAM on January 8.
According to court documents, CSAM files were found for download on the BitTorrent file-sharing network from an IP address associated with Kuttke's residence. Federal agents conducted a search of his home on December 1, 2023. They recovered electronic devices containing evidence of his involvement, including devices with numerous CSAM videos and images. A forensic analysis confirmed that Kuttke had downloaded CSAM from BitTorrent, including videos depicting adults sexually assaulting prepubescent children.
The announcement was made by Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Heck, from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) in Washington, D.C.
The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) carried out the investigation. Trial Attorney Nadia Prinz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alessandra Serano for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood works to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children online, as well as to identify and rescue victims. More information is available at www.justice.gov/psc.