Convicted Sex Offender On Federal Supervised Release Is Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Possession Of Child Sexual Abuse Material

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – David Michael Dakoski, 62, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Chief U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger also ordered Dakoski to serve a lifetime of supervised release, to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison, and to pay $88,000 in restitution.

Cardell T. Morant, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in North Carolina and South Carolina, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.

According to court records, this case arose from a probation violation after Dakoski was convicted in a previous case. In January 2018, Dakoski was convicted in federal court of possession and receipt of child pornography and was sentenced to prison. In November 2022, Dakoski was released from prison and began a term of court-ordered supervised release under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office (USPO). In April 2024, USPO conducted an unannounced home visit at Dakoski’s residence, as part of the terms of his post-release supervision. During the visit, USPO officers found Dakoski’s unauthorized cell phone that contained sexually explicit images of minors. As a result, Dakoski’s supervised release was revoked, and he was taken into custody. He was later sentenced to two years in prison for the supervised release violation on his prior conviction.

Court records show that Dakoski’s contraband cell phone was turned over to HSI. A forensic examination of the phone revealed that Dakoski possessed more than 8,270 images and six videos of CSAM, some of which depicted toddlers and infants being sexually abused. New federal charges were filed against Dakoski, and on April 25, 2024, he pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography involving minors under the age of 12.

Dakoski is in federal custody. He will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked HSI for their investigation of the case and commended the USPO for their invaluable assistance investigating a repeat offender.

Assistant United States Attorney Daniel Cervantes of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.