A Cleveland man has admitted guilt in a case of cross-state child sex crimes. David P. Greulich, 61, entered a guilty plea for driving over 400 miles to sexually exploit a 14-year-old girl from Jefferson County, New York. He also pleaded to charges involving child exploitation, transportation of sexual images of minors, and possession of child sexual abuse materials, commonly called child pornography.
Documents from the court reveal that Greulich began his communication with the minor in February 2024, using the messaging features of Snapchat. After weeks of conversations, he traveled from his Cleveland residence to New York, scooping up the girl from her home on April 20, 2024. At a hotel, he sexually abused her for two days and recorded the acts on a digital device. On May 11, the man once again returned from Ohio to New York to engage in sexual conduct with the same victim, capturing videos and photographs which he later sent to himself via email.
In a joint operation including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Cleveland Office, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Jefferson County (New York) Sheriff's Office, and the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Greulich's home was raided, and several devices containing CSAM were confiscated. On a seized cellphone, investigators found over 100 images of the young victim, some of which included the defendant. Furthermore, an examination of his cloud storage uncovered an additional 14 explicit video files of the minor.
Sentencing for Greulich is set for June 23, 2025, and his crimes carry a maximum total sentence of 180 years. The final sentence will be decided by a federal district court judge, who will take into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines among other statutory factors. Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret A. Kane and Segev Phillips are the prosecutors handling the case. The disturbing details of Greulich's acts underscore an ongoing battle against crimes that victimize children, particularly in the digital age. Details of the case are provided on the U.S. Attorney's Office website.
