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Press Release

Convicted Sex Offender from Albuquerque Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico
Defendant Prosecuted Under Federal “Worst of the Worst” Anti-Violence Initiative and Project Safe Childhood; Plea Agreement Requires Imposition of 10 Year Prison Sentence

ALBUQUERQUE – Michael Lippke, 71, a previously convicted sex offender from Albuquerque, N.M., pleaded guilty today in federal court to possessing child pornography.  Under the terms of his plea agreement, Lippke will be sentenced to ten years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.  He will be required to register as a sex offender following his term of incarceration.

Lippke was arrested on July 16, 2015, on an indictment charging him with two counts of distribution of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and seven counts of possession of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  The indictment alleged that Lippke distributed child pornography on July 20, 2014 and July 22, 2014.  It also alleged that Lippke possessed child pornography between Aug. 21, 2010 and Dec. 10, 2014, on several computers and computer-related media.  According to the indictment, the nine offenses were committed in Bernalillo County, N.M.

During today’s change of plea hearing, Lippke pled guilty to the seven possession of child pornography charges, and admitted that he possessed child pornography from Aug. 21, 2010 through Dec. 10, 2014.  Lippke remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Homeland Security Investigations and the Office of the New Mexico Attorney General, with assistance from the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.  All are members of the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. 

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Mease as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.

The case was brought as a part of the New Mexico ICAC Task Force’s mission, which is to locate, track, and capture Internet child sexual predators and Internet child pornographers in New Mexico.  There are 82 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies associated with the New Mexico ICAC Task Force, which is funded by a grant administered by the Office of the New Mexico Attorney General.  Anyone with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse is encouraged to contact federal or local law enforcement. This case was investigated by the ATF office in Albuquerque and APD. 

The case also is brought as part of the federal “worst of the worst” anti-violence initiative.  Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders primarily based on their prior felony convictions for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.  Because New Mexico’s violent crime rates, on a per capita basis, are amongst the highest in the nation, New Mexico’s law enforcement community is collaborating to target repeat offenders from counties with the highest violent crime rates, including Bernalillo County, under this initiative.

Updated January 8, 2016

Topic
Project Safe Childhood