Louisville Man Sentenced to Five Years for Producing Child Pornography

LOUISVILLE, KY—United States District Judge John G. Heyburn, II, sentenced Michael Stout a/k/a Michael Pletz, age 33, of Louisville, Kentucky, in Jefferson County, to five years’ imprisonment followed by three years’ supervised release for producing child pornography, Acting United States Attorney Candace G. Hill of the Western District of Kentucky announced today. Judge Heyburn imposed the sentence on Friday, June 5, 2009, in Louisville, Kentucky.

Stout had previously pled guilty pursuant to a written Plea Agreement. In the agreement, he admitted that in or about May, June, and July 1999, Stout used a video camera which had not been manufactured in Kentucky to secretly record a 14-year-old girl in the bathroom and shower. The video captured the girl preparing for and showering herself. The videotape captured images depicting the lascivious display of the 14-year-old’s genital area. Stout knowingly placed the video camera in order to capture the images of the minor.

Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless prosecuted the case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation in conjunction with the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department and the Kentucky Department of Corrections Probation and Parole conducted the investigation. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.