90 Day Fiance alum to serve 10 years in prison, register as sex offender
Michael “Mike” Eloshway from Season 1 of 90 Day Fiance has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison after being found guilty of two charges of child pornography.
As well as being handed prison time, the former reality TV star was ordered to pay $20,000 in fines and will be registered as a sex offender.
The 40-year-old father of one was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Patricia Gaughan in the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, as Cleveland.com reports.
Mike was found guilty of receiving, distributing, and possessing illegal videos between 2022 and 2023, which contained “sadistic and masochistic content.”
Mike unknowingly sent some of the videos to an undercover officer, which prompted a federal search warrant and the seizure of his computer.
Mike’s sentencing includes 10 years and one month in prison, as well as 10 years of supervision after he serves his time, including monitoring his computer activity.
He was also mandated to pay $10,000 to a human trafficking victims fund plus $5,000 to two victims whose images he downloaded. Mike is also required to register as a sex offender.
Mike claims he ‘never intended’ to see anything he downloaded
Mike reportedly told the court that he “unknowingly” downloaded thousands of child pornography images while downloading large amounts of adult pornography online.
He claimed that he used porn as a way to cope with severe anxiety following a “bad car crash” and news that his sister was diagnosed with cancer.
“I hate that I became a part of this,” he stated. “It breaks my heart. I have a 5-year-old daughter who is my whole world. I never intended to see any of this.”
Mike’s judge reportedly went easy on his sentencing
U.S. District Judge Patricia Gaughan reportedly went easy on Mike, giving him a lower-than-suggested sentence because he has no prior criminal history.
Additionally, the fact that Mike passed a polygraph test and stated that he “never had any intention of seeking out real children” also reportedly helped to lessen his sentence.
Allegedly, Mike asked the court to spend one more Christmas with his daughter before reporting to prison. The Bureau of Prisons will determine when he will begin to serve his sentence.
Mike’s wife, Aziza, pens a letter talking up her husband
Ahead of Mike’s sentencing, his wife, Russian native Aziza Eloshway, reportedly begged the judge for mercy for her husband.
As In Touch reports, Aziza wrote a letter stating, “My name is Aziza, and I am his wife of 11 years. I have known him for over 12 years and can assure you that this conviction is not a reflection of his true character.”
“Mike is a loving father, a caring husband, a loyal friend, and, overall, a good and kind person.”
Aziza added that Mike and their 5-year-old daughter, Olivia, have a close relationship.
Aziza called Mike a “very involved” parent who takes Olivia on father-daughter dates “all the time.”
She wrote that her family has been “torn apart” and that Mike has “been tortured by his feelings of guilt and regret for the irresponsible mistake that he’s made.”
