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Press Release

Jacksonville Man Sentenced To More Than 8 Years For Downloading Thousands Of Videos And Images Of Children Being Sexually Abused

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida

Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Michael Ray King (42, Jacksonville) to eight years and one month in federal prison for using the internet to download and receive videos and images showing children being sexually abused. King was also ordered to serve a 15-year term of supervised release, register as a sex offender, and pay child victims a total of $50,500 in restitution. King was arrested by FBI agents at his home on November 18, 2021, and he has been detained since June 1, 2022, when his bond was revoked because he accessed the internet in violation of his release conditions. King had pleaded guilty in September 2022.

According to court documents, in 2021, the FBI was investigating individuals who were using online networks to receive and share child sexual abuse materials. This investigation revealed that in July, August, and September 2021, King used a computer connected to the internet at his Jacksonville residence to access videos depicting young children being sexually abused.

On November 18, 2021, the FBI executed a federal search warrant at King’s house and seized, among other things, an external computer hard drive that was connected by a cable to a gaming computer. A forensic examination of these devices ultimately revealed that King had collected at least 5,000 videos and at least 2,000 images depicting child sexual abuse, including young children being sexually assaulted, bestiality, and bondage. The forensic evidence further showed that King had downloaded these child sexual abuse materials from the internet using a particular file-sharing program.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown. Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran handled the forfeiture of assets, including the two computer devices used by King to receive and store child sexual abuse materials.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of online 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 investigate, 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.justice.gov/psc.

Updated February 27, 2023

Topic
Project Safe Childhood