For Immediate Release

CINCINNATI – A jury in U.S. District Court here today convicted Michael Harper, 54, of Cincinnati of one count of failure to register as a sex offender, as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio and Chief Deputy United States Marshal Cathy Jones announced the verdict returned today at the conclusion of a trial that began Tuesday, September 29, 2009 before Senior U.S. District Judge S. Arthur Spiegel.

In 1989, Harper was convicted of attempted criminal sexual conduct with a minor in Ramsey County, Minnesota.  After serving 13 months for that crime, Harper lived in Minnesota, Florida, Arizona, California, North Carolina and Ohio and failed to register in each of those states. Harper moved to the Cincinnati area in 2009 and failed to register with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. 

In July 2009, Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Hilsinger developed information that Harper was residing on Adelphi Street in Cincinnati.  U.S. Marshals made contact with Harper at the front door of his residence and placed him under arrest without incident.  Harper is currently being held at the Butler County Detention Center.

Harper faces a possible sentence of ten years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and the possibility of supervised release for the rest of his life. Judge Spiegel will set a date for sentencing.
Chief Deputy United States Marshal Cathy Jones stated “The U.S. Marshals Service in the Southern District of Ohio is committed to enforcing the Adam Walsh Act and supporting the state of Ohio’s Sex Offender and Registration Notification Act”.

Stewart commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christy Muncy and Tim Mangan, who prosecuted the case, and the investigation by the Marshals Service.

SORNA is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act in 2006. The law requires anyone convicted of sex crimes under federal law, or anyone convicted in state court and traveling in interstate commerce, to register with law enforcement agencies where they live, work or are a student.

The Adam Walsh Act provides federal criminal penalties for a knowing failure to register or update.  The Adam Walsh Act also provides for the use of federal law enforcement resources, including the U.S. Marshals Service, to assist the states in locating and apprehending non-compliant sex offenders.
U.S. Marshals are the nation’s primary fugitive hunting organization and capture more federal fugitives each year than all other law enforcement agencies combined. 

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.

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