‘WORST OF THE WORST’

Oregon Man Sentenced to 270 Years for Sex Abuse of Three Young Girls

“In terms of the sexual exploitation and abuse of children, this defendant is the worst this courthouse has ever seen.”

A federal judge sentenced Andrew Kowalczyk to 270 years in prison for producing child pornography, following over a decade of delays in what prosecutors called the “worst of the worst” child pornography case they’d seen. Kowalczyk had been a family friend of the three girls involved in the case, often babysitting while their single mother was out. He was arrested on unrelated charges in Puyallup, Washington, on Dec. 27, 2007. When police seized the bags he was carrying, they found his cameras and hard drive, discovering about 650 child pornography images and videos on the devices. The Oregonian reports that Kowalczyk went to trial last December, almost 11 years after his arrest, after unsuccessful efforts to suppress evidence, multiple competency exams, and going through over a dozen lawyers. “What this defendant did to these children is simply unexplainable,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin said. “In terms of the sexual exploitation and abuse of children, this defendant is the worst this courthouse has ever seen.”