COLUMBUS, Ohio (AVC News) — A Lancaster man has been sentenced to 80 months in federal prison for receiving child pornography.
Carson A. Bigham, 24, was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court. He pleaded guilty in February to receiving child pornography.
According to court documents, the investigation began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provided law enforcement with two reports involving a Columbus man who was later charged with federal child pornography offenses.
During a forensic examination of devices seized from that man, investigators found conversations between him and Bigham that included discussions about sexual activity involving minors.
Court documents state that between August 2024 and May 2025, Bigham received child pornography through those conversations, including material depicting prepubescent minors being sexually abused by adults.
Investigators also determined Bigham solicited the Columbus man for images of a fictitious female minor Bigham believed existed.
Bigham was employed as a Columbus firefighter at the time of the investigation. Investigators said photographs of Bigham matched photographs he had sent to the Columbus man.
Bigham was arrested on federal charges in May 2025. A bill of information charging him with receipt of child pornography was filed in January 2026.
U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson imposed the 80-month sentence.
The case was investigated by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Columbus Airport Group and the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Czerniejewski and was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative, which targets the sexual exploitation and abuse of children.
Last Updated on August 19, 2026 by AVC News
