Tuscola Man Sentenced to 27 years in Prison for the Sexual Exploitation of Children

Source: United States Department of Justice News

BAY CITY – A Tuscola County man, who went by the online moniker “thefundad,” was sentenced this week to 27 years in prison for sexually exploiting two 13-year-old girls, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.

Ison was joined in the announcement by Angie M. Salazar, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, Detroit Field Office.

Brian Siwka, age 39, of Reese, Michigan, was sentenced by United States District Judge Thomas L. Ludington. Siwka sexually exploited two 13-year-old girls that he found through the “Kik” social media application. He engaged in sexual chats with both girls and made them take sexually explicit photographs of themselves and send them to him over the internet via Kik. Siwka further admitted that he had produced nearly two dozen recordings of other minors online, whom he had also made engage in sexually explicit conduct for him. At the time of his arrest in September 2020, Siwka was in possession of 178 images of child pornography and 21 videos of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct at the urging of Siwka on his laptop.   

“This defendant repeatedly sought out, groomed, and sexually exploited multiple children whom he met online,” U.S. Attorney Ison said. “Our work rooting out these online sexual predators seems never-ending, but my office will not stop bringing online sexual predators and all who prey on our children to justice.”

“Our agents and partners will continue to identify and apprehend these predators within our communities and work to bring them to justice,” said Angie M. Salazar, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, Detroit Field Office. “It is my hope that this sentencing brings some measure of peace to these victims and deters others from targeting children online.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Nee.