Rock Island, Ill. – U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm today sentenced Michael S. Slaight, 43, of the 500 block of 14th Street, Rock Island, Illinois, to serve 15 years in federal prison for receiving and possessing images of child pornography. Judge Mihm further ordered that Slaight, a registered sex offender at the time of the offenses, remain on supervised release for the remainder of his life upon completion of his prison term. Slaight also forfeited his computer equipment and related materials to the government.

Slaight pled guilty on Sept. 1, 2009, to two counts of receiving child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. On March 16, 2009, Slaight was arrested and charged with possession of more than 100 images of child pornography on March 16, 2009, and with receiving images of child pornography by computer on Feb. 11 and March 9, 2009. As noted in court during today’s sentencing hearing, in 2002, Slaight was convicted in Rock Island county of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim under 13 years of age.

The federal charges were the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, the Rock Island Police Department and the Moline Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Cannon prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.