A Portland man has been sentenced to more than 21 years in federal prison for distributing child sexual abuse material and stealing a government vehicle while fleeing law enforcement. Travis Jay Grygla, 44, received a sentence of 262 months in federal prison, followed by a life term of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $27,551.79 in restitution to the United States Government.
According to court documents, Homeland Security Investigations discovered in April 2024 that Grygla was storing and sharing child pornography at his home with another registered sex offender. At the time, Grygla was already on federal supervised release after a 2008 conviction for distribution of child pornography.
Federal agents executed a search warrant at Grygla’s residence on April 24, 2024, seizing multiple electronic devices that he was not allowed to possess while on supervised release. One device contained over 200 files of child sexual abuse material involving very young children.
During the search, Grygla stole a government vehicle and fled at high speed. Law enforcement pursued him and apprehended him in Castle Rock, Washington.
Grygla was arrested and initially charged with possessing or accessing with intent to view child pornography. On June 2, 2025, he pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography and theft of government property.
The investigation involved several agencies including Homeland Security Investigations, Portland Police Bureau, Vancouver Police Department, Washington State Patrol, and Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Mira Chernick, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
“Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.”
“Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, they re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.”
“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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.”
