Omaha Man Sentenced for Producing Child Pornography of Abducted State Ward

United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Robert E. Kaczmarek, age 55, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on February 9, 2024, in federal court in Omaha for Production of Child Pornography. Chief District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Kaczmarek to 324 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Kaczmarek’s release from prison, he will begin a 10-year term of supervised release. As part of his sentence, Kaczmarek was ordered to pay $105,214.50 in restitution.

“So many words – horrific, egregious, unthinkable, inhuman—all these words apply here”, said Chief Judge Rossiter in pronouncing the sentence. “What was done to this young lady…I seldom see it.”

In December 2021, a foster mother in Omaha, Nebraska, reported that her 16-year-old female foster daughter (hereinafter identified as “the victim”) had not come home as expected and the foster mother was concerned that the victim was having an inappropriate relationship with someone around 40 years old named “Rob.” The foster mother provided Snapchat messages of a sexual nature between “Rob” and the victim. The messages included the victim sending photographs of herself in lingerie to “Rob.”

On June 30, 2022, Kaczmarek reported to the child abuse hotline/ the victim’s caseworker that the victim was being sexually abused by a friend of Kaczmarek’s.

On July 6, 2022, the victim disclosed in a forensic interview that she was involved in a sexual relationship with Kaczmarek, who she described as being 53 years old. The victim stated that she met Kaczmarek through a friend approximately one year prior and that originally Kaczmarek provided her with marijuana, but their relationship turned into exchanging sex for drugs. The victim described being actively addicted to drugs and stated that Kaczmarek would supply cocaine, alcohol, marijuana, and mushrooms in exchange for the victim engaging in sex with him and completing household tasks such as cleaning. The victim also stated that Kaczmarek would pay for the victim to get her hair and nails done.

The victim stated that she felt obligated to engage in the sexual activity and that Kaczmarek would become agitated and aggressive if she did not. The victim stated that she feared Kaczmarek would hurt her, his daughter, his dogs, or someone else. The victim stated that sometimes Kaczmarek would be gone for hours and would return with blood on his hands and clothes and would clean his vehicle. Kaczmarek talked about taking people to “the farm” and threatened to take the victim to the farm. The victim stated the people Kaczmarek took to the farm did not return and Kaczmarek talked about calling a buddy to help carry a body to the farm. Kaczmarek also talked about having a chemical in his truck that would disintegrate things.

The victim stated she had tried to get away from Kaczmarek at times, but he would become like a stalker and would not leave her alone. The victim discussed an incident where Kaczmarek was angry at her and told her that she was lucky she was female because otherwise he would have “curb stomped” her and taken her to the farm and thrown her in a hole. The victim stated that Kaczmarek had slapped her, burnt her, pushed her, and thrown stuff at her. The victim stated that Kaczmarek had cameras in his bedroom and would get mad if the victim covered up the camera.

On August 8, 2022, the Omaha Police Department learned that the victim had left her guardian’s residence in Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska, in a white Jeep Gladiator. Ring Doorbell video showed the Jeep pull up to the house, the minor get into the vehicle, and the vehicle drive away. The guardian advised that he believed the driver of the vehicle to be Kaczmarek based on the vehicle and the fact that the victim had called him after leaving and stated that Kaczmarek was driving the victim to take her cat to the vet. The victim did not return.

Messages later recovered from Kaczmarek’s phone suggested that Kaczmarek took the victim to Missouri and left her there for two days before returning her to Omaha and moving her between various properties.

On August 22, 2022, officers executed a search warrant at Kaczmarek’s residence. There was a camera set up in Kaczmarek’s bedroom as described by the victim. Kaczmarek was located at another location. Kaczmarek stated that the victim was at a residence with of an acquaintance of Kaczmarek. Kaczmarek stated that this individual did work for Kaczmarek. Kaczmarek was taken under arrest. When arrested, Kaczmarek was found to be in possession of a plastic shopping bag containing approximately 15 grams of marijuana, approximately 15.5 grams of methamphetamine, and approximately 3 grams of cocaine (all weights with packaging).

The minor was located in a dirty cellar with boarded-up windows and only a hand-held light source. The victim was observed to be under the influence of methamphetamines and weighing approximately 88 lbs. The victim reported feeling suicidal while in the basement.

During an interview after his arrest, Kaczmarek admitted that he had been in contact with the victim ever since picking her up on August 8, 2022. Kaczmarek also admitted that the victim had sent him nude images of herself.

Officers executed search warrants for Kaczmarek’s Google account and cell phone. Within Kaczmarek’s account and on his device, investigators located numerous pictures of the victim in lingerie, exposing her breasts and genital area. Investigators also located videos of the victim engaged in sexual acts. One video depicts the victim restrained and engaged in a sexual act.

Lieutenant Tara Ackerson with the Omaha Police Department stated following Kaczmarek’s sentence, “The crimes committed by Kaczmarek are heinous and inconceivable. The sentence that was imposed upon him today sends the message that preying on our youth will not be tolerated. The Omaha Police Department is pleased to see such a strong sentence. We will continue to work with our federal partners to ensure that those involved in sex trafficking are held accountable.”

“The sentence imposed by Chief Judge Rossiter sends a message that the horrendous crimes committed by Kaczmarek have no place in our society,” said United States Attorney Susan Lehr, “The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to aggressively prosecute those individuals that take advantage of some of the most vulnerable in society.” 

This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.