90 Day Fiancé Season 1 star Michael Eloshway has been found guilty of multiple counts of child pornography possession, including possession of at least one photo depicting a child under 12.

The trial, which began on Monday in a Cleveland District Court, resulted in a guilty verdict earlier today.

Eloshway was found guilty of one count of Possession of Child Pornography and one count of Receipt and Distribution of Visual Depictions of Real Minors Engaged In Sexually Explicit Conduct.

According to court documents, Eloshway is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29, 2024, and faces between 17 years and 5 months to 20 years in prison.

As part of the child porn possession investigation of 90DayFiance S1 star Michael Eloshway, he agreed to take a polygraph test to answer questions about whether or not he inappropriately touched his 5-year-old daughter. He reportedly passed.

Details:

— Starcasm (@starcasm)

Details on Michael Eloshway’s charges

Michael Eloshway was indicted in June 2023 for one count of Possession of Child Pornography and one count of Receipt and Distribution of Visual Depictions of Real Minors Engaged In Sexually Explicit Conduct.

In March 2023, Federal investigators tracked Eloshway’s IP address, which was found to be engaging in the receipt, possession, and distribution of CSAM (Child Se*ual Abu$e Material) via BitTorrent.

On March 27, 2023, Eloshway’s IP address was again identified receiving and sharing parts of files known to be CSAM. During this time, Eloshway’s IP address received or transmitted approximately 63,439 files, of which, approximately 9,541 files were determined to be severe files. Of the files shared and downloaded, approximately 4,517 contained sad*sm and mas0chism.

Federal agents executed a search warrant on Eloshway and his home in Twinsburg, Ohio, seizing a black HP desktop computer, among other devices.

90DayFiance Season 1 star Michael Eloshway “was terminated from his employment” after being indicted on child pornography possession charges. Plus, we now have a trial date.

— Starcasm (@starcasm)

Michael Eloshway admits possession of child pornography

During an interview with agents, Eloshway admitted to possessing child pornography on his computer, stating that he had downloaded large batches of pornography from BitTorrent and that those batches contained child pornography.

Eloshway stated that he would delete the child pornography that would be downloaded in batches, but admitted that the recent child pornography he downloaded had not been deleted and would be in his downloads folder on his computer.

Eloshway, via BitTorrent, distributed 62 files CSAM (five videos and 57 images) directly to law enforcement. The black HP desktop computer that Eloshway admitted to storing child pornography on was analyzed and contained 7,182 unique files of CSAM (four videos and the remaining images).

Prosecution’s case against Michael Eloshway

Prosecutors laid out their case against Michael Eloshway, stating that he knowingly possessed and distributed child pornography.

Eloshway admitted to possessing child pornography on his computer and distributing it via BitTorrent. He also admitted to knowing how BitTorrent worked and having used it for 20 years.

The prosecution argued that Eloshway’s actions were sufficient to support a conviction for possession and distribution of child pornography.

Michael Eloshway’s defense

Michael Eloshway’s attorney, Jay Milano, argued that the prosecution’s case was not strong enough to convict, stating that Eloshway’s internet search requests were generic and that the contraband came as unindexed parts of “torrents/floods” of data.

It is the position of Mr. Eloshway that it cannot be proven, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he “Knowingly” possessed or distributed child pornography.

His internet search requests were generic. The contraband came as unindexed parts of “torrents/floods” of data. The contraband was delivered among a small number “torrents/floods” over time. Those torrent/floods were but a small percentage of total searches over the same period. When discovered, he deleted them.

Other than the possibility of Mr. Eloshway testifying, the defense will call no other witnesses.

Michael Eloshway on 90 Day Fiancé

Michael Eloshway was 31 years old when he filmed for the first season of 90 Day Fiancé. He was dating 21-year-old Russian student Aziza, and the two would eventually get married on the show.

Here is their official bio from TLC:

Mike and Aziza met on an international language learning website. Mike wanted to learn Russian for an upcoming trip, and Aziza wanted to learn English. The site paired them up, and they began speaking to each other regularly online.

Mike visited Aziza in Russia, and after spending 6 days together, the two decided to get married.

As a full-time student, Aziza has never had to take care of anything but her studies.

With Mike eager to start a family, Aziza will face a steep learning curve as she leaves the comforts of her familiar culture, sheltered life and studies for a new world filled with first experiences and a whole lot of pressure.

Mike Eloshway and Aziza Eloshway have remained together after their marriage featured on 90 Day Fiance Season 1.

In September of 2018, Aziza announced she was pregnant with their first child. The first-time mom-to-be made the announcement with a gallery of three maternity photos shared on Instagram. “Mom&Dad❤️2019?‍?‍?” she captioned the gallery.

On January 14, 2019, Aziza gave birth to a baby girl. “Our Princess has arrived!” Mike captioned an Instagram photo of himself with his baby girl. “Welcome Olivia Joan, born 1/14! Great job, mommy!”