A Columbus man already on the sex offender registry has admitted to possessing child sexual abuse material involving infants and toddlers, federal officials say.
Alan Martina, 37, pleaded guilty on Wednesday in U.S. District Court to possession of child sexual abuse material and now faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to 20 years in federal prison. Forensic examiners say devices seized last fall contained more than 170 videos and 215 images of child sexual abuse.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children sent a cybertip about uploads from a Kik account that led investigators to Martina’s profile. Agents executed a search warrant at his Columbus home in September 2025 and seized six electronic devices, the office said. Martina entered his guilty plea Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King.
Local reporting by WSYX/ABC6 says court filings show Martina used encrypted apps Session and Teleguard to discuss and trade illicit images with other users, and that some messages reflected violent sexual fantasies aimed at very young children. The station reports Martina was charged by criminal complaint in October 2025 and previously was convicted in Franklin County of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is prosecuting the federal case, according to the outlet.
Legal context and sentencing
Federal officials say Martina faces between 10 and 20 years in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material, with the exact sentence to be set at a later hearing under the advisory sentencing guidelines. The plea is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood, which coordinates federal, state and local efforts targeting online child exploitation. Prosecutors say Martina’s prior state conviction and his status as a registered sex offender will be among the factors the court weighs at sentencing.
How the tipline works
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children operates the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline, a centralized reporting system that takes in reports from online platforms and the public, then forwards actionable leads to law enforcement, including local Internet Crimes Against Children task forces. NCMEC materials outline how service providers and individuals can submit tips and how those tips are triaged for investigation. Officials say the tip about Martina’s uploads was processed through that channel and routed to the Franklin County ICAC task force.
Authorities involved in the case include U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Detroit, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Franklin County ICAC task force, according to court filings and local reporting. No sentencing date has been set. Court records show Martina was charged in October 2025 and remains subject to federal prosecution. For the original federal announcement, see the release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
