'90 Day Fiance' alum Mike Eloshway jailed in CSAM case, but receives more lenient term than Josh Duggar
CLEVELAND, OHIO: '90 Day Fiance' star Mike Eloshway was found guilty in July of collecting child sex abuse materials (CSAM) and was sentenced to 10 years in jail in October. Mike's wife, Aziza Eloshway, whom he married in 2014 after appearing on '90 Day Fiance', was present for all three days of Mike's trial but did not speak at either the sentencing hearing or the trial itself in October.
Before the court imposed the formal sentence of 10 years and 1 month in jail, Mike begged for compassion, according to Cleveland.com. Mike will also have to register as a lifelong sexual offender and undergo rigorous post-prison supervision, which includes online activity monitoring, for ten years after his release.
In addition, Mike will have to pay $5,000 to each of the two victims in the pictures he downloaded from February 2022 to March 2023 on his garage computer, and $10,000 to a charity for victims of human trafficking. Mike received a lesser sentence than what is advised by federal sentencing guidelines for comparable offenses.
These penalties usually vary from 17.5 to 20 years. In contrast, TLC reality star Josh Duggar received a sentence of 12.5 years in jail after being found guilty of CSAM-related offenses in 2021.
'90 Day Fiance' alum Mike Eloshway denies any wrongdoings
Mike has said that he was attempting to download legitimate adult pornography and had no intention of looking for CSAM with actual children. The former reality star referred to CSAM as "reprehensible." She and Aziza had a daughter in 2019.
To verify this and to show that he had no illicit interaction with his daughter, Mike passed a polygraph test. Mike testified during his July trial that he never intentionally obtained CSAM over BitTorrent, a peer-to-peer file-sharing network and that he promptly removed any files, including minors, from his computer.
Additionally, he said that an FBI agent who was present at the 2023 raid on Mike's home coerced him into writing a confession by threatening never to see his daughter again. In June 2023, Mike received an indictment.
'90 Day Fiance' criminal Michael Eloshway’s wife wrote letter of mercy to judge
Mike's IP address “engaged in the receipt, possession, and distribution” of CSAM from February 13, 2022, to March 8, 2023, according to a tracking program that federal investigators utilized. Mike's IP address was discovered to be one that was receiving and sharing CSAM files later that month.
Mike's IP address received and/or sent 63,439 files, 9,541 of which were classified as "severe files," according to Starcasm. According to Cleveland.com, Mike turned down a plea deal in June 2024 that would have sentenced him to 12.4–15.7 years in jail.
Before the sentencing hearing, Mike's wife, Aziza, and other family members wrote to the judge, pleading for Mike to be given leniency for his actions. Mike is really sorry for what he did, Aziza said in her letter.
In order to spend one more holiday with his family, Mike requested during his sentencing hearing that the court allow him to start serving his prison term after Christmas. In the end, Mike's self-surrender date to begin serving his sentence will be determined by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
'90 Day Fiance' alum Aziza Eloshway may be better off without her criminal husband
Mike from Cleveland, Ohio, and Aziza, from Volgograd, Russia, had a romantic connection. The pair first connected on a language-learning website.
Although Mike and Aziza came from different backgrounds, they managed to work things out. In the summer of 2013, Aziza landed in America to marry Mike after obtaining her K-1 visa.
This former '90 Day Fiance' family is having a rough time. Although Mike has defeated them, Aziza may be content while he is incarcerated.
After he was accused, she could have experienced a great deal of dread, disgust, and other negative emotions. Given that they have been together for years, she could adore him.
She must now confront life alone, yet not entirely alone. The most important thing at the moment is Olivia, her child.
