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East Montpelier Man Sentenced for Child Pornography
A 26-year-old East Montpelier man has been sentenced to a lifetime period of supervised release for possession of child pornography. Michael Karlberg was convicted of one count of possession of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B).
According to court records, in January 2013, the parents of a minor in Texas notified law enforcement that their daughter was being harassed by a man she had met in a chatroom on the Internet. The man was pressuring her to take sexually explicit photographs of herself to send to him. Subsequent investigation identified the man chatting with the minor as Karlberg.
Karlberg consented to law enforcement searching his computer, and on it were found images of child pornography that included sadistic and masochistic conduct and bestiality. Law enforcement also found evidence that Karlberg had communicated with several other teenage girls and coerced them into masturbating for him on camera. Unknown to the girls, Karlberg secretly recorded them masturbating for him.
After reviewing a report of Karlberg’s mental condition and reviewing his personal history and characteristics, Judge William K. Sessions III declined to sentence Karlberg to a prison term and, instead, ordered him to be on supervised release for the rest of his life. Judge Sessions ordered the period of supervised release to be evaluated after 20 years and every five years thereafter to determine if the term of supervision should be terminated.
Acting United States Attorney Eugenia A.P. Cowles commended the efforts of the Vermont Attorney General’s Office in the investigation and prosecution of Karlberg. The prosecution of Karlberg was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara A. Masterson. Karlberg was represented by David L. McColgin.
The case is part of the U.S. Attorney’s Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Karlberg was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment as part of his sentence.
RELATED: Derrell Lee Sentenced in TD Bank Identity Theft Scheme
Key Facts
- State: Vermont
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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