WHEELING, W.Va. — A CyberTip submitted to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children led investigators to a Wheeling man who has now been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for producing and distributing child sexual abuse material.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia, 22-year-old Gage Heckman was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison after investigators connected him to child sexual abuse material shared online.
The investigation began after suspicious activity was reported on an Instagram account through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline. The report prompted a joint investigation involving the Wheeling Police Department and the FBI’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Authorities later executed search warrants at Heckman’s South Wheeling residence, where electronic devices were seized. Investigators said forensic examinations of those devices uncovered evidence linking him to the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey said the sentence reflects the commitment of federal and local law enforcement to identifying those who exploit children and holding them accountable.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Perri.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey handed down the 20-year sentence, with federal officials noting the case demonstrates how a single CyberTip can quickly lead to a coordinated investigation and criminal prosecution.
