HSI Washington, DC-led investigation lands Ohio woman in prison for 15 years for production, distribution of child sexual abuse material

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — An investigation led by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. field office resulted in a lengthy prison sentence for an Ohio woman for production and distribution of child sexual abuse material. Ashley Kolhoff, 22, of Port Clinton, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, July 12.

According to reports, over the course of several days, Kolhoff produced sexually explicit images of a minor victim and posted them to a website dedicated to facilitating child exploitation. Furthermore, Kolhoff distributed the images of the victim to nine other members of the website while she engaged in a series of graphic conversations discussing the users’ desire to sexually abuse the victim.

Anyone with information regarding the sexual exploitation of children is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. HSI has a nationwide tip line to report crime by calling 1-866-347-2423.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.