Norfolk Man Sentenced to Eighteen Years for Producing Child Pornography

United States Attorney Deborah R. Gilg announced that Darrin L. Mucker, 40, of Norfolk, Nebraska was sentenced in federal court in Omaha for producing child pornography.  The Honorable John M. Gerrard sentenced Mucker to 18 years in prison.  There is no parole in the federal system.  After his release from prison Mucker will begin a 20 year term of supervised release. 

Mucker posed as a teenager on MeetMe.com.  MeetMe.com is a social networking service used by teens.  Mucker sent indecent and obscene messages to children including a sexually explicit image of a child.  Mucker communicated with at least 15 girls ranging in age from 12-15 years.  The girls were living in various states in the United States and one in Canada.  Mucker asked for and received images and videos from many of the girls engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  On at least one occasion he threatened to post the nude images he received of a fourteen year old girl on the internet if she didn’t send him more.

The Nebraska State Patrol was able to trace the Internet Protocol (IP) address used on various MeetMe.com accounts back to Mucker.  A search warrant was executed on his Norfolk residence on April 9, 2013.  A tablet computer revealed dozens of close up images of child pornographic images sent by young girls to Mucker.  Mucker admitted to receiving child pornography from girls he met on the internet by webcam, video and email.

U. S. Attorney Deborah R. Gilg expressed her gratitude to the Nebraska State Patrol and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force for their investigation of this matter.  Victims were located in Ohio, Alaska, Calgary and multiple other jurisdictions.  The investigation resulted in a significant child predator receiving a substantial sentence.   

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys= Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.