Pontiac Man Sentenced to 10 Years For the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

DETROIT – A Pontiac man was sentenced to 10 years in Federal prison for the sexual coercion and enticement of a minor, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.

Ison was joined in the announcement by James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Daniel Lee Harvey III, 36, of Pontiac, Michigan, was sentenced to prison by United States District Judge Sean F. Cox. In August 2018, Harvey began messaging the 13 year-old daughter of a family friend on the social media application, Instagram. The conversation turned sexual in nature, and Harvey suggested that he and the child meet up for sex when he returned to the Detroit area for the holidays. He ultimately coerced the girl to film and send him a video of child pornography through the application SnapChat. Harvey then saved a screenshot of the video to his Google Account and requested that the minor delete messages between them. The girl became uncomfortable and told a trusted adult who contacted law enforcement.

“This defendant preyed on a family friend’s minor child online, a serious offense that deserved the punishment handed down by the Court. This sentence helps protect vulnerable minors online and demonstrates that we will continue to fight to keep our community safe for children.” U.S. Attorney Ison said.

"Mr. Harvey's exploitation of this victim is deplorable," said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Detroit Division. "This office is fully committed to investigating criminals who take advantage of minors in this way. The young victim who reported Harvey's crimes was incredibly brave and we thank her for providing the FBI with the information we needed to hold him accountable."

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan Sweeney Bean and Christopher Rawsthorne.