Manteca Man Sentenced to over 11 Years in Prison for Transportation of Child Pornography

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller sentenced Michael Tamblin, 52, of Manteca, to 11 years and three months in prison today for transporting child pornography.

According to court documents, in September and October of 2015, Tamblin surreptitiously filmed a minor child on numerous occasions using a hidden camera. Once Tamblin had those images, he transported them on a USB drive to his place of employment. On February 8, 2017, Tamblin pleaded guilty to transporting child pornography.

Tamblin was a technician at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), which is a secured federal laboratory owned by the United States Department of Energy. All internet searches on the LLNL network are recorded and periodically audited. A routine review of internet searches on Tamblin’s computer revealed potentially inappropriate activity. Further investigation led law enforcement officers to obtain search warrants for Tamblin’s residence and vehicles where they found evidence of Tamblin’s crimes. Tamblin has remained in custody since his arrest on February 19, 2016.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorneys Rosanne Rust and Roger Yang prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet safety education.