SIOUX FALLS – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that a Elizabethtown, Kentucky, man convicted of Possession of Child Pornography was sentenced on October 25, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Michael Ray Wilkes, 64, was sentenced to three years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Wilkes was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and a $5,000 special assessment to the Victims of Trafficking Fund. Wilkes will be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
Wilkes was indicted for Transportation of Child Pornography, Receipt of Child Pornography, and Possession of Child Pornography by a federal grand jury in March of 2022. He pleaded guilty on August 1, 2022.
Wilkes was arrested and federally indicted following an online investigation on the BitTorrent networks looking for offenders sharing child pornography. Videos located were linked to Wilkes IP address. Forensic examination of Wilkes’ devices found images of child pornography, which he knowingly downloaded off the BitTorrent networks.
This case was investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.
Wilkes was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.