New York Man Sentenced for Sending Child Pornography to Liberty Man

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A New York man was sentenced in federal court today for sending images and videos of child pornography to a Liberty, Missouri, man who in turn used them to harass the child victim.

Joseph J. Balio, 36, of Utica, N.Y., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 13 years and nine months in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Balio to spend the rest of his life on supervised release after incarceration.

On Aug. 5, 2020, Balio pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography over the internet. Balio admitted that he sent a video that contained child pornography to Zachary T. Harbison, 35, of Liberty, Mo., on Dec. 25, 2017. The video file depicted a sleeping minor.

Harbison pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography and was sentenced on Nov. 5, 2020, to nine years and four months in federal prison without parole. Harbison admitted that, on the same day he received the video and images of child pornography from Balio, he texted the minor victim and sent her pornographic images and a video file he had received from Balio.

According to court documents, the image and video files Balio shared with Harbison were used to harass and stalk the minor victim, as well as an adult victim.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Daly. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the New York State Police, and the Utica, N.Y., Police Department.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."