Child Predator Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Sharing Child Sexual Abuse Material Via Kik

INDIANAPOLIS- Michael Martinez, 30, of Camby, Indiana, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to distributing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

According to court documents, in May 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) referred a cyber tip to the Indiana Crimes Against Children Task Force. The tip indicated that a user with the handle “the_goose_boi” had uploaded 28 files containing suspected child sexual abuse material to the social media messaging application Kik.

Through their investigation, law enforcement officers quickly identified Martinez as the individual responsible. Records obtained from Kik revealed numerous private and group messages sent and received by Martinez that discussed child pornography and expressed a sexual interest in children. These included messages stating, “I'd 100% date a 10-year-old girl if it was legal lol,” and “Can we all just agree preteen girls are sexy and they should be able to do anything a woman can do.”

Martinez has a prior conviction from June 2020 in Marion County for possession of child pornography and child exploitation. He was sentenced to five years’ incarceration and four years of Sex Offender Probation. At the time of the current offense, he was still serving probation.

“Michael Martinez is a known predator who chose to victimize children again while still on probation from a prior offense where he had been banned from even accessing the internet. His actions were brazen, disturbing, and deeply dangerous,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Thanks to the relentless efforts of the U.S. Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and our dedicated federal prosecutors, we have removed a sexual predator from our community and sent a clear message that we will not tolerate the exploitation of our children.”

“The U.S. Secret Service is committed to stopping child sexual predators who harm innocent victims. The sentencing in this case illustrates the heinous nature of this repeat offender’s crimes against vulnerable children,” said Ike Barnes, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Indianapolis Field Office. “I am proud of the work of the Secret Service and Homeland Security Investigations in bringing this person to justice. Thanks to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Indiana for its efforts in prosecuting this case.”

The U.S. Secret Service and Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge James P. Hanlon.

U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Eakman, who prosecuted this case.

This investigation was conducted by the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a multiagency task force led by the Indiana State Police that investigates and prosecutes persons who use the internet to sexually exploit or entice children. Each year, Indiana ICAC investigators evaluate thousands of tips, investigate hundreds of cases, and rescue dozens of children from ongoing sexual abuse. Visit https://www.internetcrimesagainstkids.com to learn more about their efforts.

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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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.

If you are a victim of child sexual exploitation, please contact your local police department. Resources for victims of child exploitation can be found on our website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/project-safe-childhood

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