BALTIMORE, Md. — A Frederick County man has pleaded guilty to federal charges of coercion and enticement of a minor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced on Thursday. Michael Vance Culpepper, 56, of Walkersville, Maryland, entered the guilty plea on August 21, acknowledging his attempts to exploit two young victims, including one while he was out on bail.
According to the plea agreement, Culpepper used mobile phones and online applications between April and May 2023 to communicate with individuals he believed to be 13- and 14-year-old girls, intending to engage them in sexual activity. The first victim was actually an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 13-year-old girl. Culpepper exchanged sexually explicit messages and images with the officer, encouraging the supposed minor to delete their conversations to avoid detection. On May 8, 2023, Culpepper drove approximately 50 miles to meet the victim at a restaurant in Hanover, Maryland, where he was promptly arrested.
Despite being released on May 9, 2023, with a condition prohibiting contact with minors, Culpepper continued his predatory behavior. He initiated online contact with a 14-year-old girl, referred to as Jane Doe 1 in court documents, and engaged her in sexually explicit conversations. Culpepper sent the girl explicit photos of himself and requested that she send him nude images. On May 28, 2023, Culpepper picked up Jane Doe 1 near her home, drove her around for an hour, and then stopped at a park. He attempted to entice her with ice cream, money, a hotel room, and vaping devices to engage in sexual contact. Although Jane Doe 1 refused, Culpepper continued to pressure her to meet again for sexual purposes.
Culpepper now faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison, along with lifetime supervised release. Sentences for federal crimes typically fall short of the maximum penalties, but his sentencing will reflect the severity of his actions.
The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron, alongside Inspector General Teri L. Donaldson of the United States Department of Energy’s Office of the Inspector General (DOE-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Baltimore Field Office; Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland State Police (MSP); Paul Joey Kifer, Chief of the Hagerstown Police Department (HPD); and State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess of the Office of the State’s Attorney for Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
Culpepper’s sentenc