WHEELING, W. Va. — Homeland Security is seeking the public’s help in the case against a Preston County native charged with crimes against children.
Robert J. Gongloff, 25, was arrested in Weirton on March 13, 2015 pursuant to a criminal complaint charging him with Production of Child Pornography.
“What this man is charged with is one of the most heinous crimes in our society,” John Kelleghan, Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge said. “HS is committed to aggressively pursuing those who create or trade child pornography. It’s our job to protect the most vulnerable members of our society.”
Gongloff, originally from Terra Alta, is alleged to have produced numerous images and videos depicting nude minors and minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He is also accused of misrepresenting his name and age on a website known as MeetMe.com, claiming to be 17 years old and using the name “Johnny Williamson,” in order to transmit sexually explicit photographs to minor females.
Homeland Security requests that anyone with knowledge of Gongloff’s unsupervised contact with minors contact the agency by calling the 24-hour Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. The public can also submit an online tip at www.ice.gov/tips/ or by downloading the Operation Predator smartphone app and submitting that way.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations is leading the investigation with assistance from the West Virginia State Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Vogrin is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.