Butler
County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser addressed his staff Monday about the
child pornography charges his adult son faces after being arrested Oct.
16 by federal agents.
As first reported by the Journal-News, Jason
Gmoser, 35, of Ross Twp., was arrested Thursday by federal agents after
a search warrant was served at his home at 2000 Smith Road. The house
is owned by Michael Gmoser, but the prosecutor told the Journal-News
last week that he and his late wife moved from the residence years ago
and were allowing their son to live there.
Jason Gmoser and four
other men believed to be from Illinois are charged with child
exploitation, conspiracy to advertise child pornography and conspiracy
to distribute child pornography as part of an enterprise.
“I am
dealing with this as a father,” Michael Gmoser told the Journal-News,
exclusively last week. “It is a federal case. I am not involved in the
prosecution. I couldn’t be.”
On Monday, Michael Gmoser told his
staff that after years to of trying to conceive, he and his wife, Olga,
adopted a “special 7-month-old child.”
“He was perceived to be
highly intelligent,” Gmoser said. “But we knew we would always have to
deal with Jason on his own terms.”
Jason Gmoser developed attachment and development disorders that made it difficult to bond with his parents.
“To say he was a difficult child was an understatement,” Michael Gmoser said.
Michael Gmoser said his son did excel at science and computers and attended Miami University, but had to drop out.
“He went downhill with depression, self esteem issues and a horrible weight problem … he became reclusive,” Michael Gmoser said.
He added there were several diagnosis to explain his son’s condition, including Asperger syndrome and bipolar disorder.
In
2010, Jason Gmoser was admitted to the psychological ward of a local
hospital after he had a psychotic episode, with Jason saying he had
inappropriately touched a child.
An investigation concluded Jason
had “touched the leg of this young fellow,” Michael Gmoser said, but
Jason believed he had done something terrible.
The mother of the boy sought and received a protection order against Jason, according to Michael Gmoser.
Jason Gmoser was then taken to Texas to one of the best facilities money can buy, Michael Gmoser said.
“But money can’t buy everything,” Michael Gmoser said, pausing and appearing to hold back tears.
When Jason returned from Texas, he was better, Michael Gmoser said.
“We lived with the hope he would just grow out of his problems, ” he said.
The
prosecutor thanked his staff for their support and said he and his late
wife had no prior knowledge of the alleged crimes his son is charged
with.
According to the indictment filed in Cincinnati federal
court on Oct. 17, Jason Gmoser, Andrew D. Hoff, David Delalio and two
others identified as John Doe 3 and John Doe 5 committed a series of
felony violations between May 12, 2012, and Oct. 7, 2014, involving one
or more minor victims.
“Defendants did knowingly conspire to make,
print, publish and cause to be made, printed or published any notice
advertisement seeking and offering to retrieve, exchange, buy, produce,
display, distribute and reproduce any visual depiction, the production
of which visual depiction involved the use of minor engaging in sexually
explicit conduct,” according to the indictment.
The men are also accused of distributing the child pornography during the same time period.
Jason
Gmoser is being held in the Campbell County Detention Center in
Newport, Ky. He is scheduled to appear Tuesday in federal court in
Cincinnati for a bond hearing.