FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2009 WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/KYW	CONTACT: DAWN MASDEN PHONE: (502) 582-5911 FAX: (502) 582-5097

 

LOUISVILLE MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO RECEIVING, TRANSPORTING, AND POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

LOUISVILLE, KY - Michael Keith Adler, a/k/a top_driver, age 44, of Louisville, Kentucky, pled guilty on February 25, 2009, to charges of possession, receipt and transportation of Child Pornography, Acting United States Attorney Candace Hill of the Western District of Kentucky announced today.

Pursuant to an open plea, Adler admitted that on December 21, 2007 he possessed images of child pornography. He further admitted, that on November 6, 8, 9, 10, and 11, 2006, using the screen name top_driver, he uploaded hundreds of child pornography images to Internet. He admitted that he transmitted images of child pornography, via a computer, in interstate commerce and that he received images of child pornography, via a computer, in interstate commerce.

The activities of Mr. Adler first came to light on or about December 7, 2006, when the FBI received four cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) relating to 361 images of suspected child pornography. The cybertips stated that the images of suspected child pornography had been uploaded. According to records obtained from Yahoo! INC. and Windstream Communications the uploads occurred on November 6, 8, 9, 10 and 11 of 2006 and were generated from an IP address assigned to Adler’s residence located in Louisville, Kentucky. The FBI executed a search warrant on Adler’s residence on December 21, 2007 where his personal computer was seized as evidence. A forensic examination of the computer revealed hundreds of images of child pornography.

In the event of a conviction, the maximum potential penalties are 50 years imprisonment, a $750,000 fine, and supervised release for a period of life; and the minimum potential penalty is 5 years imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal judicial system.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Assistant United States Attorney Mac Shannon is prosecuting the case. The FBI conducted the investigation with assistance from the Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory.

Adler is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge John G. Heyburn, II, on June 5, 2009, at 1:30 p.m., in Louisville, Kentucky.