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Press Release

Tampa Man Sentenced To More Than 13 Years In Federal Prison For Transporting Child Pornography Over the Internet

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington yesterday sentenced Michael Alan Klevene (62) to 13 years and 7 months in federal prison for transporting child pornography over the Internet.  As part of his sentence, Klevene was also ordered to serve a lifetime term of supervised release, following his incarceration, and to register as a sex offender.        

Klevene was found guilty on June 4, 2013.

According to court documents, between October and December 2012, Klevene uploaded numerous videos and images of child pornography to the Internet. On January 24, 2013, Klevene e-mailed links to the uploaded child pornography to an undercover agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

In February 2013, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Klevene’s residence. During an interview, Klevene confessed to possessing, downloading, and transporting child pornography.  He stated that he had been collecting images and videos of child pornography for over twenty years.  Klevene also admitted to paying a pre-pubescent male, in Tampa, to take photographs of himself and to subsequently posting these photographs to the Internet, in order to meet people interested in child pornography and to obtain more child pornography.

"Distributing child pornography is not a victimless crime," said Susan McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. "We cannot repair the damage done to innocent children exploited for perverse pleasure, but we can continue to aggressively pursue and prosecute child predators like Klevene."

This case was investigated by HSI, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), and the Tampa Police Department.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.

It is another 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.  Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

Updated January 26, 2015