Wood County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography

Charleston, West Virginia—Joseph Lee Carmichael, 46, of Wood County, West Virginia, pled guilty today before Chief United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin to possession of child pornography.

In September 2006, Carmichael began chatting online with an undercover officer who was posing as a 14 year-old female. During the chats, some of which were sexually explicit, Carmichael used a webcam to send the officer live video of himself showing his face and other body parts. During a chat on July 12, 2007, Carmichael sent the undercover officer several images of child pornography.

In November 2007, during the execution of a search warrant, law enforcement officers recovered, among other things, a computer from Carmichael’s residence. The computer was analyzed forensically and found to contain over 150 images of child pornography. Many of these images depict known children who have been identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The images depict children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including sexual intercourse.

Carmichael, who is scheduled to be sentenced on May 18, 2009, faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment, lifetime supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Karen B. Schommer is handling the prosecution.