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Press Release

Ashland County man indicted for sexually exploiting five children

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio

An Ashland County man was indicted after having at least five children send him nude images of themselves, said U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman and FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony.

Michael D. Nixon, 55, of Perrysville, was indicted on five counts of sexual exploitation of children, one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

Nixon coereced five minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct from June 1, 2017 through Nov. 29, 2017, according to the indictment

The parents of a 10-year-old girl contacted authorities after someone, later determined to be Nixon, contacted the girl and, posing as a young girl himself, requested her to send nude images. Nixon, posing as a young girl, sent images of a girl in her underwear and then images of nude girl, and asked the victim to reciprocate. The victim girl sent a nude photo, according to court documents.

When Nixon asked for more nude images, the victim replied she did feel comfortable and attempted to discontinue contact. Nixon said he’d be willing to discontinue contact only if the victim provided names, phone numbers and school information of her friends. Nixon then said if the victim did not comply, he would send the images to the victim’s school, according to court documents.

Terrified, the victim reported the incident to her mother, according to court documents.

Nixon also knowingly received and distributed numerous computer files that contained child pornography. Nixon also possessed two Samsung Gusto 3 cellular phones that contained child pornography, according to the indictment.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant's role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

The case was investigated by TFO Bryan Allen, Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Task Force, and Edward Moschella, FBI, District of Columbia. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carol M. Skutnik. 

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Contact

Mike Tobin
216.622.3651
michael.tobin@usdoj.gov

Updated April 13, 2018

Topic
Project Safe Childhood