Sex Offender Sentence

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, Kenyen R. Brown, announces that Michael Robert Erskine was sentenced for receipt of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 2252A(a)(2) and failure to register as a sex offender in violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 2250(a).

Erskine was convicted in 1995 of Aggravated Sexual Battery on an eight year old victim in Hampton, Virginia. As a result of this conviction, Erskine was required to register as a sex offender. He was arrested on December 22, 2014 by the Saraland Police Department after he attempted to travel to the Philippines without prior approval. The Saraland Police Department referred the case to the United States Marshals Service for investigation of a federal charge of failure to register as a sex offender. The case was also referred to Homeland Security Investigations because images of child pornography were found on his computer.

At the sentencing hearing before Judge Kristi Dubose, the United States played portions of defendant’s taped statement admitting that he used the images in order to satisfy his urges for children. Because of the prior conviction and the continuing danger that he posed to the community, Erskine was sentenced to serve 180 months imprisonment and a life time term of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Saraland Police Department, United States Marshals Service and the Department of Homeland Security. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney=s Office for the Southern District of Alabama, AUSA Maria Murphy.