CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In a grim milestone in the fight against child exploitation, Michael Fluckiger, 46, of Portland, Indiana, was handed a 240-month prison sentence today for orchestrating a global enterprise that preyed on children. The court-imposed term, coupled with lifetime supervised release, is a stark testament to the severity of his crimes.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell led the Justice Department’s Criminal Division in announcing the sentence, alongside U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose and law enforcement agents from Charlotte, Boston, and Tampa divisions of the FBI. Fluckiger pleaded guilty on December 2, 2015, after his March 4, 2015, arrest by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Fluckiger’s operation was a sinister maze of exploitation, according to court admissions. As co-administrator of a child porn website operating on the Tor anonymity network, he managed membership, crafted rules, and deleted content that failed to depict or discuss child pornography. His involvement was so deep that he even utilized advanced encryption techniques to thwart law enforcement efforts.
The investigation has resulted in the prosecution of at least 48 alleged abusers and the rescue of 49 children who were victims of sexual abuse. Steven W. Chase, the site’s lead administrator, awaits sentencing after being convicted by a federal jury on September 16, 2016. David Lynn Browning, another co-defendant, will be sentenced on February 7, 2017.
The FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children Section and Major Case Coordination Unit played pivotal roles in the investigation, with support from the Charlotte, Tampa, and Boston field offices. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) prosecuted the case. Fluckiger’s sentence is part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse.
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Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Cybercrime|Sex Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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