Michael Joseph Plocar, Receipt of Child Pornography, North Carolina 2014

RALEIGH - Michael Joseph Plocar, 62, pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography in federal court today, according to United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker.

On March 19, 2014, a Criminal Indictment was filed charging Plocar with receipt of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2), during his arraignment.

In October 2012, an undercover officer discovered that Plocar's IP address was downloading and sharing Child Pornography. On November 1, 2012, a search warrant was executed at Plocar's home and he was present at the time. During his non-custodial interview, Plocar admitted that he had been downloading and viewing child pornography for the past several years.

Agents seized several computers, as well as other media devices, including a hard drive which was located in a locked safe that Plocar admitted he used to back up his CP files. A subsequent computer forensics examination of these items revealed approximately 44 videos of CP on 2 computers and 3 hard drives. The videos were lengthy, several over 30 minutes long.

At sentencing, scheduled for the January 12, 2015 term of court, Plocar faces up to 20 years imprisonment. If he has had prior convictions relating to aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, abusive conduct involving a minor or ward, sex trafficking of children, or the production, receipt, possession, sale, distribution, shipment, or transportation of children pornography, the penalty increases to up to 40 years imprisonment.

The investigation of this case was conducted by HSI, Wake County Sheriff's Office, Cary Police Department, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Ethan Ontjes prosecuted the case for the United States.

This case was part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, a national program aimed at ensuring that criminals exploiting children are effectively prosecuted by making full use of all available law enforcement resources at every level.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/raleigh-man-pleads-guilty-child-pornography-charge