Written by: Jenny Hagan Westcentralonline.com (Warning: may contain graphic information)

A 32-year-old man from Outlook, Saskatchewan, has been sentenced to 3 years 10 months in a U.S. federal prison after pleading guilty to distributing graphic child sexual abuse material involving toddlers and young boys, U.S. prosecutors announced Monday.

Matthew Norman Ballek admitted in October 2024 to one count of possession of child pornography. The sentence was handed down this week in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., where Judge Reggie B. Walton also ordered six years of supervised release and sex offender registration for 15 years.

According to court documents, in January 2024, Ballek engaged with an undercover officer posing as a pedophile in an online chat. During the exchange, he expressed interest in child pornography and later used an encrypted messaging app to share three videos depicting the rape of a toddler and prepubescent boys by adult men.

Investigators seized his cellphone, which was found to contain at least 10 additional videos and 21 still images of child sexual abuse material.

The charges stem from an indictment alleging that Ballek knowingly distributed these videos using facilities of interstate commerce. The production and distribution of such material violated U.S. laws under Section 2252 of Title 18 of the United States Code.  Ballek was working in Washington, D.C., as a financial risk specialist for the World Bank when he was arrested in February.  Ballek may also face deportation and other immigration-related consequences.