Former Omaha Police officer gets 36 years in prison for child porn

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A former Omaha Police officer will spend 36 years in federal prison on child porn charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says.

Christopher Groth, 39, was sentenced Monday for one count of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

In February 2022, the FBI received tips that Groth had uploaded child porn onto his email accounts.

Investigators determined that several of the images were likely created by Groth.

He was arrested at work without incident, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and was soon fired by the Omaha Police Department.

Authorities said Groth produced eight images of child pornography involving a single victim.

He had more than 700 files depicting other children that he received online, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

“In an appalling and heinous way, Christopher Groth violated his sworn oath as a police officer by victimizing children,” Eugene Kowel, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Omaha office, said in a press release. “Today’s sentence ensures that he is held accountable for his actions.”

U.S. District Judge John M. Gerrard also sentenced Groth to 20 years of post-prison supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

Groth also must pay $3,000 toward funds established for victims of such crimes.