SF Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Child Porn Production and Distribution

Henry Muller pleaded guilty to creating and sharing explicit videos of minors online.

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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A 33-year-old San Francisco man named Henry Muller has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for producing and distributing child sexual abuse material. Muller pleaded guilty in January 2025 to charges including production, distribution, and receipt of child pornography after being indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2023 for offenses dating back to July 2022.

Why it matters

This case highlights the growing problem of online child sexual abuse material and the efforts of federal prosecutors to aggressively pursue both production and possession cases to disrupt the distribution of these illegal and harmful videos. The lengthy 20-year sentence reflects the severity of Muller's crimes and prosecutors' aim to deter others from engaging in similar offenses.

The details

According to court documents, Muller admitted to persuading a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct and recording the abuse on video on July 12 and July 13, 2022. He then distributed one of those videos online on July 17, 2022. Muller also admitted to receiving a visual depiction involving a different minor on October 17, 2022. The case was investigated by the FBI and the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Roland Chang handling the prosecution.

  • On July 12 and July 13, 2022, Muller persuaded a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct and recorded the abuse on video.
  • On July 17, 2022, Muller distributed one of the videos online.
  • On October 17, 2022, Muller received a visual depiction involving a different minor.
  • In July 2023, Muller was indicted by a federal grand jury.
  • In January 2025, Muller pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.

The players

Henry Muller

A 33-year-old San Francisco man who pleaded guilty to producing and distributing child sexual abuse material.

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California

The federal prosecutors who handled the case against Muller.

FBI

The federal law enforcement agency that investigated the case along with the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

San Mateo County Sheriff's Office

The local law enforcement agency that investigated the case along with the FBI.

Senior U.S. District Judge Edward M. Chen

The judge who sentenced Muller to 20 years in federal prison.

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What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Henry Muller out on bail pending his appeal.

The takeaway

This case underscores the urgent need to combat the growing problem of online child sexual abuse material and the efforts of federal prosecutors to aggressively pursue both production and possession cases in order to disrupt the distribution of these illegal and harmful videos.