Berea Man Recorded Himself Sexually Assaulting Minors: Affidavit

BEREA, OH — A Berea man was sentenced to 35 years in prison for sexually exploiting children. Cody Swinnerton also pleaded guilty to receipt and possession of child pornography, the Department of Justice said.

Swinnerton, 25, was also sentenced to 25 years of supervised release, to follow his 35 years prison stint. He pleaded guilty to the charges against him on Sept. 10, 2019.

“Let this 35-year prison sentence send a message to those who would sexually assault and exploit our children,” said United States Attorney Justin Herdman. “We will find you anywhere in the world and we will never quit until you are brought to justice and held accountable for the unspeakable harm you have caused.”

The Department of Justice said Swinnerton began exploiting children in 2013, when he had sexual contact with a sleeping child and videotaped the assault on his cellphone. He then began attending athletic events, like the Little League World Series in Pennsylvania, and took pictures of preteen athletes.

Swinnerton then contacted the athletes on social media to congratulate them and share his photos. He then contacted the boys from a fake social media account, where he pretended to be a teenage girl, and tried to get the boys to send naked images of themselves, according to an affidavit filed in the case.

Using social media accounts, Swinnerton began talking to a teenage boy and his family in New York. After extended Instagram chats, Swinnerton moved to New York and got access to the boy's home by befriending his family.

While the boy slept, Swinnerton would sexually assault him and record the assault, the affidavit said.

The Department of Justice said Swinnerton would also get memorabilia from the Cleveland Cavaliers, for whom he worked, and use it to entice teenage boys.

Law enforcement began investigating Swinnerton after they received a tip saying the Berea native was coercing teenagers into sending explicit images. The tip said Swinnerton controlled multiple social media accounts and used them to target children ages 12 to 15.

The affidavit said Swinnerton had contact with potential victims in Ohio, Tennessee, Iowa, Texas, Australia, France and Austria.

“This case is a disturbing reminder that international borders are no longer a hindrance for online predators,” said Vance Callender, special agent in charge of Homeland Security for Michigan and Ohio. “However, this sentence should ensure victims around the world that Homeland Security Investigations and our partners in the international law enforcement community are committed to aggressively targeting those engaged in these heinous acts."

After working with investigators in Australia, U.S. law enforcement searched Swinnerton's Berea home on Jan. 25, 2019. Swinnerton was in Australia at the time, but agents seized his computers and found sexually explicit images of preteen and teenage boys.

Investigators then learned Swinnerton was staying in Australia with one of his victims and their family. Even after learning law enforcement had searched his home, Swinnerton recorded himself sexually assaulting the Australian boy, the affidavit said.

“Today’s outcome sends a strong message to child sex offenders that you are not anonymous
online,” Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Debbie Platz . “It does not matter where you live, or if you are in a different country to your victims, police will track you down and prosecute you. The partnership forged between HSI and the AFP in countering child exploitation on a global level was pivotal to the successful outcome in this matter.”