Child Pornography Charges Filed Against Michael Lee Haynes

MICHAEL LEE HAYNES, 30, of Anniston, Alabama, was indicted by a federal grand jury today for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children, announced U. S. Attorney Dana J. Boente.

HAYNES was charged in an Indictment for Distribution of Child Pornography.  According to today’s indictment, on October 26, 2012,  HAYNES distributed images of child pornography through the use of a computer.   

If convicted, HAYNES faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum penalty of twenty years, followed by up to a lifetime term of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

U. S. Attorney Boente reiterated that the Indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

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 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."

This case was investigated by special agents from the U. S. Department of Homeland Security, HSI.  The prosecution of this case is being handled by Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, Assistant U. S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba.

(Download Indictment )