Whitmore’s 17.5 Years for Child Pornography Crimes

Anchorage man Michael Whitmore, 31, is headed to prison for a long time after being sentenced to 17.5 years for possessing and distributing child sexual abuse materials.

U.S. law enforcement made the discovery after Australian authorities referred the case to the FBI and Anchorage Police Department. It turned out that Whitmore was actively distributing child sexual abuse images on an encrypted social media application, with some visuals depicting prepubescent minors.

Law enforcement executed a search warrant on Whitmore’s residence in March 2021 and found over 4,100 images and 2,200 videos on his devices. The investigation also revealed that Whitmore was an active member of at least 82 messaging groups used to exchange child sexual abuse materials on various applications.

Whitmore was arrested in March 2021 and pleaded guilty in August 2022. In imposing the sentence, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Sharon L. Gleason noted the sadistic nature of the images and videos, sophisticated computer use and active participation of the defendant.

U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska expressed the commitment of his office to protecting vulnerable community members and ensuring that perpetrators who choose to victimize children are brought to justice. “Mr. Whitmore contributed to the plague of revictimization that possessing and distributing child sexual abuse materials causes to innocent victims across the country and the world,” Tucker said.

The FBI, Anchorage Police Department, and Australian Law Enforcement worked together to investigate the case as part of the FBI’s Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.