Blue Ash man gets 16 years for hidden home camera child exploitation case

Blue Ash man gets 16 years for hidden home camera child exploitation case Advertisement Updated: 5:04 PM EST Nov 6, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Emily Sanderson Digital Media Manager Blue Ash man gets 16 years for hidden home camera child exploitation case Updated: 5:04 PM EST Nov 6, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Emily Sanderson Digital Media Manager BLUE ASH, Ohio — A Blue Ash man who pleaded guilty to planting hidden cameras in a family's home over several years to capture illicit videos of children has learned his sentence. 32-year-old David Mitsnefes was sentenced to 16 years in prison after pleading guilty in July to sexual exploitation of children. Advertisement According to a release from the United States Attorney Dominick S. Gerace, Mitsnefes admitted to surreptitiously capturing videos of a minor in their bedroom in various states of undress without their knowledge and attempting to capture videos of another minor. According to court documents, the investigation began in 2021 when a teenage daughter of the family noticed an unfamiliar power cord connected to a small camera under a bed, aimed at a mirror to capture children undressing. Despite police efforts, they initially could not trace the device to a person. However, the breakthrough came when Mitsnefes was caught on a doorbell camera entering the home and accidentally recorded himself with the spy camera. This evidence, along with the family's identification, led to his arrest. Court documents say Mitsnefes used Wi-Fi to save videos of the minors to his iPhone and also took the victims’ underwear and kept them in his bedroom. When police searched Mitsnefes’s electronic devices, it revealed videos of the victims as well as numerous images and videos depicting child sexual abuse material obtained over the internet. Officials say Mitsnefes possessed more than 5,000 images and 3,000 videos of child pornography on his electronic devices. “By invading the most private spaces in their lives, David Mitsnefes destroyed his victims’ sense of safety and stripped them of the fundamental expectation of privacy within their own home,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. “Over the course of years, he inflicted profound and lasting damage on the minors and their family. This conduct calls for the sentence he received today.” Make WLWT a preferred source on Google Add Preferred Source Share Infinite Scroll Enabled Top Picks Watch: Giant pandas make much-anticipated debut at Zoo Atlanta 19-year-old to become one of Massachusetts' youngest representatives in state history Dramatic video: Mother rescues man drowning 'We brought him home': A WWII soldier killed 82 years ago has finally been laid to rest