CLEVELAND, OHIO: '90 Day Fiance' Season 1 star Mike Eloshway has landed himself in hot water after he was indicted on child pornography charges in the Northern District of Ohio on June 15. Eloshway, a reality TV personality from Ohio, had his engagement with an Uzbekistan native who is 10 years his junior, as documented on TLC’s reality television series.
The 40-year-old now is facing federal sex crime charges. Federal court records show that he has been charged under two separate child sexual abuse material statutes: one count of possessing child pornography, and one of receiving and distributing such material.
What does the indictment state?
The indictment filed on June 15 states that Eloshway “did knowingly receive and distribute, using any means and facility of interstate and foreign commerce, numerous computer files, which files contained visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit content."
What did the federal prosecutors say?
Federal prosecutors also say that Eloshway “did knowingly possess a black HP Desktop computer that contained child pornography.” At least one of those images, the indictment says, “involved a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.”
Mike may face 20 years behind bars
The two statutes under which Eloshway is charged carry potential statutory maximum sentences of 20 years. It may be higher if the accused has previously been found guilty of sex crimes relating to minors.
Mike Eloshway and Aziza
Aziza was only 21 years old when she met Mike, who was 10 years older than her. They met online on a language learning website. Although they were just friends in the beginning, soon they developed romantic feelings for each other when her work visa to America was not granted. Many friends of Mike grew concerned that his online girlfriend was only using him for a green card.
“It concerns me that she tried to get a working permit here and she was denied, and then all of a sudden, it became a great idea for them to continue the relationship,” his best friend Kelli said during the January 12, 2014, episode, mentioning that 3 months wasn’t enough time to get to know someone, InTouch reports. “I feel as though, like in a relationship, a lot of things come natural, and in their case, it’s being forced.”
Mike and Aziza however tied the knot on October 2013 despite facing harsh criticism from his friends and family. Their wedding was documented during Season 1 of '90 Day Fiance', which premiered in January 2014.
Does the couple have any kids?
Aziza, the Uzbek who moved to the US from Russia, announced that she was pregnant in September 2018, after more than five years of marriage. “Mom and Dad,” she captioned the announcement via Instagram, adding a red heart emoji. In January of the following year, their daughter, Olivia Joan, was born. Before his arrest, Mike and Aziza spent Easter 2023 together as a family with their daughter.
