Iron Mountain Man Sentenced for Receipt of Child Pornography

MARQUETTE, MI—Erik Michael Smith, 29, of Iron Mountain, Michigan, was sentenced to 235 months in federal prison for receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Donald A. Davis announced today. In addition to the prison term, Senior U.S. District Judge R. Allan Edgar ordered Smith to serve a lifetime of supervised release following his release from prison, and to pay a $100 special assessment. On June 11, 2010, Smith pleaded guilty to Count 1 of a federal indictment charging him with receipt of child pornography. Smith admitted that he had obtained child pornography on the Internet and that he used file sharing applications on his computer to receive and distribute child pornography to other child pornographers he had met in Internet chat rooms.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney's Office, county prosecutor's offices, Internet Crimes Against Children task force (ICAC), federal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. The partners in Project Safe Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of online child exploitation, and to teach children how to protect themselves. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit the following web site: www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

U.S. Attorney Davis commended the Iron Mountain Police Department, the Michigan State Police, and agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their work in this case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D. Lochner.