Former Law Student Sentenced to Over Six Years for Child Pornography Possession
Gregory Gallagher, 37, of Marietta, Georgia, has been sentenced to 78 months in prison for possessing and uploading thousands of images and videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal also ordered Gallagher to serve 15 years of supervised release and pay $169,649.12 in restitution to the victims. He will be required to register as a sex offender upon release. Gallagher pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography on April 22, 2024. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case began when the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received five Cybertip reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) between May and August 2021. These reports, originating from a cloud infrastructure company, indicated suspected child sexual exploitation associated with a specific cell phone number.
The investigation led to Gallagher, a Mercer Law School student at the time. A search warrant executed on his cloud storage account in January 2022 revealed 38 videos and 1,970 images of CSAM. Another folder, containing files uploaded from Gallagher’s cell phone, contained two videos and 3,389 images of CSAM.
Search warrants executed at Gallagher’s residences in Macon and Marietta on March 29, 2022, resulted in the discovery of 97 videos and 5,749 images of CSAM on his cell phone, depicting the sexual assault and abuse of children, including very young children and toddlers.
“Children who experience the horror of being sexually abused are continually traumatized each and every time the image or video of the heinous act is viewed. These images are permanent and cause harm well beyond the moment they were originally captured,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker.
“This conviction is a victory for justice and a warning to those who prey on children—we will find you and you will face the full force of the law,” said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Atlanta.
“Today’s conviction reflects the relentless efforts of law enforcement to protect children from exploitation and hold offenders accountable,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the GBI’s ICAC Task Force, with assistance from NCMEC. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom prosecuted the case.
