Howell Public School District Teacher Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Charge

          GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN —Duane William Millar, age 59, of East Lansing, Michigan, pleaded guilty in federal court to receiving child pornography. As part of his guilty plea, Millar admitted that he had sought out, downloaded, and collected child pornography from the internet and had done so for years. He admitted that he had a 200 gigabyte hard drive filled with child pornography that he had amassed, adding he never deleted any of it and acknowledging that his collection of images included sadistic images of children being sexually assaulted.

          Millar was a teacher with the Howell Public School District and was placed on administrative leave after he was charged in Ingham County for possession of child pornography. The Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office initiated Millar’s prosecution and then referred the case for federal prosecution. Initial federal charges were filed on May 25, 2016, and more charges were added on August 31, 2016, including allegations that Millar transported child pornography with him on trips to Maryland, the State of Wyoming, and Canada. On September 21, 2016, the charge of receipt of child pornography was filed in conjunction with Millar’s written plea agreement.

          Millar will be sentenced on February 6, 2017, before the Honorable Robert Holmes Bell, U.S. District Judge. At sentencing, Millar will face a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of twenty years in federal prison, with at least five years and up to lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

          The charges are the result of an investigation by the Michigan State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (MSP ICAC), working in conjunction with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and with the cooperation of the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney, Alexis M. Sanford.

          This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office; county prosecutor’s offices; and federal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. Individuals with information or concerns about possible child exploitation should contact local law enforcement. For more information about Project Safe Childhood in West Michigan, including resources for children and parents, visit: http://www.justice.gov/usao/miw/programs/psc.html.

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