By Joe Johnson
A Watkinsville man who was convicted by a federal jury for possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material has been sentenced to over 11 years in prison for his crime.
Eric Paul Krumm, 47, was ordered by a judge to serve 134 months in prison to be followed by 25 years of supervised release and to pay $18,000 in restitution to his victims. He will have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
Krumm was found guilty by a U.S. District Court jury on April 27, 2022, of two counts of distribution of child sexual abuse material and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material. There is no parole in the federal system.
Krumm is a former University of Georgia employee who was fired more than 20 years ago for hacking into computers of former co-workers.
In 2016, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department began an investigation into downloads of suspected child sexual abuse material that returned to Krumm. Following that initial finding, ACCPD obtained 204 images and two videos of child sexual abuse material linking back to Krumm’s IP address. The child sexual abuse material depicted prepubescent girls and included sexual assault and molestation.
A search warrant was executed by the GBI at Krumm’s residence on Feb. 15, 2017, and 11 electronics were seized, including laptops and hard drives. Fifty-six images and one movie file found on Krumm’s electronics depicting child sexual abuse material were submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for comparison to the Child Recognition and Identification System.
Krumm, a former systems administrator for a multinational corporation, downloaded and distributed child sexual abuse material via a peer-to-peer file sharing network. GBI investigators conducted an extensive forensic examination of Krumm’s electronics, which led to the discovery of the evidence of his distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.