WASHINGTON – Matthew Norman Ballek, 32, from Outlook, Sask., was sentenced Monday in U. S. District Court to six years, or 46 months, in federal prison in connection with distributing child pornography to an undercover law enforcement agent last year.
Ballek pleaded guilty Oct. 4, 2024, in the District of Columbia to one count of possession of child pornography. Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered Ballek to serve six years of supervised release on completion of his prison term, and to register as a sex offender for a period of 15 years. He also may be subject to deportation proceedings and other adverse immigration consequences.
In a sentencing memorandum filed Monday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia had argued that Ballek’s actions warranted eight years, or 97-months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release.
According to court documents, in January 2024, an undercover member of the FBI – MPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force was monitoring an online dating app that is used by individuals who have a sexual interest in children. Ballek contacted the undercover agent and, believing he was communicating with a pedophile, expressed an interest in child pornography, said the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia.
Ballek sent the undercover agent three video files through an encrypted messaging app.
“Those video files depicted adult men raping a toddler and prepubescent boys,” said the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia in a statement on Monday.
Ballek was arrested in Washington on Feb. 7, 2024. The FBI seized and forensically examined Ballek’s phone, which contained 10 unique videos and at least 21 unique still images of child pornography.
The District Attorney said the case against Ballek was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abused, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.
Court heard that Ballek had admitted to an undercover FBI officer that he has a long-standing sexual interest in children and that he had acted on this sexual appetite in the past.
"Specifically, [Ballek] admitted that he participated in the sexual abuse of a toddler whose father he met on the social media app ‘Grindr.’ [Ballek] also asked the undercover officer if he would ‘share’ his purported eight-year-old daughter, in an apparent attempt to engage with the officer in acts of sexual abuse against this child.
“He also implied to the undercover officer that he has engaged in the sexual abuse of children ‘abroad’ and commented to the officer that he should ‘go abroad’ with him in order to engage in sexual acts with children outside the legal protection of the laws of the United States,” state court documents.
Court heard that Ballek had taken “relatively sophisticated steps to make his illegal conduct harder to detect.”
The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and MPD’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is comprised of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia.
At the time of his arrest, Ballek was working for the World Bank. He previously worked for the Bank of Canada. In addition, he was also a program manager in LGBT capital markets to “empower LGBT+ talent."
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If you have been a victim, there is help available
If you have been a victim of sexual violence, ensuring you are safe and supported is the first step. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
If you do not feel comfortable contacting the police, you can reach out to people you trust. You or someone acting on your behalf can also reach out to a sexual assault support agency, a Victim Services program or helpline.
In Regina call 306-522-2777 or email rsac@sasktel.net
In Saskatoon call 306-244-2294 or email info@ssaic.ca
In the Battlefords call 306-445-2727 or email info@basac.ca
In Prince Albert call 306-764-1039 or email saw@pacrisis.ca
