Tampa Man Sentenced to 13 Years for Transporting Child Pornography
A Tampa man has been sentenced to 13 years and 7 months in federal prison for transporting child pornography over the internet.
Michael Alan Klevene, 62, was found guilty of transporting child pornography over the internet in 2013. On January 11, 2023, U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington sentenced Klevene to 13 years and 7 months in federal prison.
As part of his sentence, Klevene was also ordered to serve a lifetime term of supervised release, following his incarceration, and to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, between October and December 2012, Klevene uploaded numerous videos and images of child pornography to the internet. On January 24, 2013, Klevene e-mailed links to the uploaded child pornography to an undercover agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
In February 2013, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Klevene’s residence. During an interview, Klevene confessed to possessing, downloading, and transporting child pornography. He stated that he had been collecting images and videos of child pornography for over twenty years.
Klevene also admitted to paying a pre-pubescent male, in Tampa, to take photographs of himself and to subsequently posting these photographs to the internet, in order to meet people interested in child pornography and to obtain more child pornography.
Distributing child pornography is not a victimless crime, said Susan McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. We cannot repair the damage done to innocent children exploited for perverse pleasure, but we can continue to aggressively pursue and prosecute child predators like Klevene.
This case was investigated by HSI, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. government to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc
Related Federal Cases
- Tyler Dwayne Waddle, Transporting Child Pornography, Florida 2017 · Florida
- Thomas Hill, Enticement of a Minor and Production of Child Pornography, Florida 2020 · Florida
- Jericho Rayne Skipper, Child Pornography Receipt, Florida 2023 · Florida
- Ronald Charles Waters, Child Pornography Possession, Florida 2013 · Florida
- Charles Lee Gorish, Child Pornography Transport, Florida 2012 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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