Chicago, IL-(ENEWSPF)- A Chicago man was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for secretly recording thousands of videos of nude boys inside YMCA locker rooms.
For approximately two decades, MICHAEL PORTER secretly recorded videos of nude boys inside the locker room at three Chicago-area YMCAs where Porter was a member. Porter placed a video-recording device inside a bag and then strategically placed the bag on the floor of the locker rooms. Mr. Porter sexually abused at least one of the boys, capturing the abuse on video.
Porter, 58, pleaded guilty last year to federal charges of production, receipt, and possession of child pornography. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis ordered Porter to pay $63,500 in restitution to victims.
Porter Used Numerous Devices for Recording Boys
During the investigation, law enforcement seized six recording devices, seven cameras, 30 USB drives, hundreds of cassette tapes and DVDs, and two laptops from Porter. Law enforcement discovered in his possession 46,563 images and 44,553 videos depicting child pornography. Additionally, there were approximately 2,245 videos that Porter produced.
Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois announced the sentence. Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Valuable assistance was provided by the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department.
“Michael Porter was a prolific manufacturer and collector of child pornography,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristen Totten and Elly M. Peirson argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Regardless of whether these images will ever surface again, the victims will live with the trauma imposed upon them by the defendant for the rest of their lives.”
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Log on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
This is a release from the United States Department of Justice.
