Gila River Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Abusive Sexual Contact

PHOENIX—On March 27, 2013, Keith Patrick Manuel, 40, of Bapchule, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier to 180 months in prison, to be followed by lifetime supervised release. Keith Manuel pleaded guilty on January 15, 2013, to abusive sexual contact.

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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Gila River Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Raynette M. Logan and Jennifer E. Green, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.