A federal grand jury in Greenville, South Carolina, returned a three-count indictment against Tyler Michael Berlick, 35, of Muskego, Wisconsin, for traveling across state lines with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, transporting a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in sexual conduct, and production of child sexual abuse materials.
Berlick faces a maximum penalty of life in prison for allegedly traveling to South Carolina in February to engage in sexual activity with a minor and then transporting that same minor to Florida with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The indictment claims Berlick met the child online and believed the child was 13 years old.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project brings together federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children.
The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI Miami Field Office, the Lantana Police Department (Florida), the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (Florida), and the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department (Wisconsin). Assistant U.S. Attorney Winston Marosek is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs emphasized that all charges in the indictment are merely accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Berlick is scheduled to be arraigned on May 23 at 10 a.m. before Magistrate Judge Kevin McDonald.
The term ‘child pornography’ is currently used in federal statutes but is being phased out in favor of ‘child sexual abuse material,’ which better reflects the abuse depicted in images and videos and the trauma inflicted on the child.
Related Federal Cases
- Wisconsin Man Indicted for Kidnapping Greenville Child · Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Sex Offender Convicted of Child Exploitation, Faces 35 Years to Life · Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Sex Offender Sentenced to 35 Years for Grooming, Abusing 12-Year-Old · Wisconsin
- David A. Johnson Sentenced to 12 Years for Soliciting Child Porn · Wisconsin
- Milwaukee Man Charged with Sex Trafficking Minor, Child Porn Production · Wisconsin
Key Facts
- State: South Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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