Deputy charged with two federal child pornography crimes

 COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Franklin County corrections officer has been charged federally with advertising for and receiving child pornography.

Daniel P. Heintz, 38, of Columbus, turned himself in this morning and will appear in federal court for an initial appearance at 2:15pm.

According to court documents, authorities were alerted to messages sent by Heintz on Kik Messenger in mid-August 2020. In the conversations, Heintz allegedly discusses with an Illinois man their mutual sexual interest for children, and exchanged images of themselves and of pornography, including child pornography. It is alleged Heintz received sexually explicit videos from the man of a girl 13 to 15 years old.

An affidavit details that Heintz allegedly discussed sexually abusing a minor to whom he had access. It is alleged he discussed photographing the minor in the victim’s sleep and also talked about sexual conduct he would commit as well as sexual abuse the Illinois man could commit to the minor victim.

On Feb. 11, law enforcement officials executed search warrants at Heintz’s residence and of his person at his place of employment, the Franklin County Correctional Center on S. Front Street.

A forensic examination of his electronics revealed what is alleged to be several hundred images of prepubescent minors, some as young as toddler age, engaged in explicit sexual conduct and being sexually abused.

Heintz is charged with advertising for and receiving child pornography. Advertising for child pornography is a federal crime punishable by a minimum of 15 and up to 30 years in prison. Receiving child pornography includes a sentencing range of five to 20 years in prison. If convicted, the crimes also carry a mandatory of at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and registration as a sex offender.

David M. DeVillers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Chris Hoffman, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Westerville Police Chief Charles Chandler and other members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorneys Heather A. Hill and Emily Czerniejewski are representing the United States in this case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.