News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2009
In matters prosecuted by the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia:
WOOD COUNTY MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON
CHARLESTON, WV – Joseph Lee Carmichael, 46, of Wood County, WV, was sentenced today by Chief United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin to 78 months' imprisonment followed by a lifetime term of supervised release. Carmichael, who previously pled guilty on February 25, 2009, admitted he possessed child pornography.
The conviction stems from a joint investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Wood County Sheriff's Department. In September 2006, Carmichael began chatting online with an undercover officer who was posing as a 14-year-old female. During the chats, some of which were sexually explicit, Carmichael used a webcam to send the officer live video of himself showing his face and other body parts. During a chat on July 12, 2007, Carmichael sent the undercover officer several images of child pornography in an attempt to persuade the officer to send him in return, images of child pornography.
In November 2007, during the execution of a search warrant, law enforcement officers recovered, among other things, a computer from Carmichael's residence. A forensic analysis of the computer revealed over 150 images of child pornography. Many of the images depict known children, who have been identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including sexual intercourse.
OHIO MAN SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON
Also in Charleston, Robert J. Thacker, 37, of Ohio, was sentenced today by Chief United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin to 5 years in prison followed by 10 years on supervised release. Thacker, who previously pled guilty on December 15, 2008, admitted he traveled in interstate commerce with the intent to have sex with a minor In August 2005, Thacker, using a false name, began chatting with a 15-year-old girl online. The girl told Thacker she was 15. Thacker falsely represented that he was 21 years old. Eventually, Thacker and the minor spoke on the phone and arranged to meet in person. The two first met at Camden Park in Huntington, WV where Thacker was confronted by the girl's father and told not to contact her again. However, Thacker continued his contact with the girl and, ultimately, traveled from Ohio to West Virginia with the intent to have sex with the minor. Thacker picked the girl up from outside her home and took her back to Ohio where they had sex. The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation.
CLAY COUNTY MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
Telford Cruikshank, Jr., 42, of Clay, WV, pled guilty today before Chief United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin admitting he possessed child pornography. A Federal investigation revealed that Cruikshank searched for and downloaded child pornography from the internet using a computer located at his business in Clay, West Virginia. Beginning in at least March 2006, Cruikshank paid for access to two different illegal websites hosting child pornography. During the course of his subscription to the child pornography websites, Cruikshank knowingly received and possessed over 300 images depicting prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including sexual intercourse. These images were later found on Cruikshank's computer during the execution of a search warrant at his business. Many of these images depict known children who have been identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
As a result of his guilty plea, Cruikshank faces up to 10 years imprisonment followed by a lifetime of supervision by the Court upon his release from prison. The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted the investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Karen B. Schommer handled all three prosecutions.
These cases were prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about cases and related activities please visit www.usdoj.gov/usao/wvs and www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
CHARLESTON WOMAN SENTENCED FOR CHARGE STEMMING FROM IDENTITY THEFT OF NURSING HOME PATIENT
HUNTINGTON, WV – Pamela J. Morris, 50, of Charleston, WV, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers to 5 years probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine for mail fraud. Morris previously pled guilty in February 2009, admitting that while employed at a nursing home facility, she stole the identity of a patient and used the information to apply for a credit card. An investigation jointly conducted by the Charleston Police Department and the United States Postal Inspection Service revealed that Morris used the victim's identity to obtain a Speedway Super America Platinum MasterCard. Once she received the card in the mail, Morris charged over $2,200 to the account. At sentencing, Judge Chambers told Morris that she "took advantage of an elderly, sick man" and "there is no excuse for this conduct." However, the Judge considered Morris' lack of a criminal record and her employment history and sentenced Morris to probation. Morris was also ordered to pay $2,491 in restitution to the victim. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes handled the prosecution.