CT man who shared TikTok video containing child sex abuse imagery pleads guilty to federal offense

A Ridgefield man has pleaded guilty in federal court to a child exploitation offense after investigators discovered that he shared child sex abuse content over TikTok and had accessed and possessed other similar materials.

Nicholas Skirkanich, 44, took a plea deal in federal court in Hartford Wednesday, pleading guilty to one count of accessing with intent to view and possessing child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. The charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.

In October 2022, an online service provider submitted a CyberTip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that indicated a TikTok video containing “child sex abuse imagery” was sent from Skirkanich’s email account to another email account, according to federal officials.

An investigation later showed that Skirkanich possessed and accessed additional material containing child sex abuse imagery between August 2021 and December 2022, officials said.

Skirkanich, who was arrested in December 2022, is free on a $150,000 bond while he awaits sentencing — which has been scheduled for May 15.