KANSAS CITY, Mo.– Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to charges related to Internet child pornography.

Michael James Sheets, 45, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty to the charges contained in a June 15, 2010, federal indictment.

Sheets pleaded guilty to three counts of receiving child pornography over the Internet between July 2007 and January 2009. Sheets also pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography over the Internet and one count of possessing child pornography.

By pleading guilty today, Sheets agreed to forfeit to the government any property used to commit the offenses, including a computer and two hard drives.

            Under federal statutes, Sheets is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katharine Fincham. It was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations.

Project Safe Childhood

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.

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