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Trigger Warning: This article contains descriptions of child abuse and sexual exploitation.
When we first Michael Eloshway on Season 1 of 90 Day Fiancé, we followed his sweet love story with Aziza. The two met on a foreign language site, and Aziza traveled from Russia to Ohio to live happily ever after. Now, the feds are trying to make an example out of Mike in a disturbing child pornography case.
Earlier this year, Michael was found guilty of two charges of child pornography. As a result, the prosecutors in the case want to throw him behind bars for two decades. They want to punish him for the crime and also for failing to accept responsibility.
20 years plus restitution for Michael Eloshway
Photo credit: TLC/YouTubeIn Touch reviewed details of the court case. They outlined exactly why prosecutors want a federal judge to sentence Mike to 20 years.
Although his lawyers argued that Mike just performed “generic” internet searches, law enforcement became aware of his behavior through an undercover agent.
The 90 Day Fiancé alum sent an officer dozens of files which allegedly included “sadistic content” and “rape of victims as young as a year old.” Additionally, the feds accused him of transmitting over 63,000 files, some of which contained “sadism and masochism.”
In a voluntary interview, Michael maintained his innocence while also admitting to sharing this type of content for 20 years. He claimed he would delete the content after viewing it, but the feds still found thousands of images on his computer. Clearly, his excuses were contradictory.
With that in mind, the prosecutors argued that Mike hadn’t accepted responsibility for his crimes. Rather than slapping him on the wrist, they want to give him a harsh sentence to set an example.
Federal prosecutors explained, “These offenders do talk to each other via the Internet, and they are concerned enough about law enforcement that they encrypt their hard drives, seek foreign websites, and use anonymous phone apps in an effort to prevent detection. There is much to be gained by a significant sentence— increased safety for our children.”
Despite the seriousness of the crimes and their intent to protect children, Mike has been allowed to remain out on bond while he awaits his sentencing. He does, however, have to pay $10,000 in fines and $3,000 in restitution to two victims featured in the videos.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
TELL US – WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO MIKE’S PROPOSED SENTENCING? SHOULD THE FINES BE HIGHER FOR SUCH A SERIOUS CRIME?
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