PHOENIX – On March 27, 2013, Keith Patrick Manuel, 40, of Bapchule, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Karen Schreierto 180 months in prison to be followed by lifetime supervised release. Keith Manuel pleaded guilty on January 15, 2013, to Abusive Sexual Contact

This 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Gila River Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Raynette M. Logan and Jennifer E. Green, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-12-01557-PHX-DGC 
RELEASE NUMBER:     2013-025_Manuel

For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/