MICHAEL JOSEPH GILBERT, 56, of Vancouver, Washington, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to Production of Child Pornography and Receipt of Child Pornography. In his plea agreement GILBERT admits he made sexually explicit videos of two young girls when the children were as young as five and six-years-old. Production of child pornography is punishable by a mandatory minimum 10 years in prison and up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Receipt of child pornography is punishable by a mandatory minimum 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. GILBERT is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton on November 19, 2009.

According to the plea agreement, GILBERT admits to making sexually explicit videos of the young girls on multiple occasions over the last five years. When law enforcement executed a search warrant on GILBERT’s home they seized three video tapes made by GILBERT, as well as child pornography he had obtained from the internet via peer-to- peer file sharing programs. GILBERT was originally identified as someone trading child pornography over the internet during an FBI undercover investigation of peer-to-peer file sharing. A forensic review of GILBERT’s computer revealed that he possessed more than 6,000 images of child pornography, including the images of his young relatives.

GILBERT has agreed to a complete psycho-sexual evaluation before sentencing. Under the terms of the plea agreement, when released from prison GILBERT must register as a sex offender and be on supervised release for the rest of his life. Both sides have agreed to recommend a sentence between 14 and 16 and a half years in prison.

The case was investigated by the FBI.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Aravind Swaminathan.

For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorney’s Office, at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@USDOJ.Gov.

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