Feb 20, 2020

Nebraska man sentenced for producing child pornography

Posted Feb 20, 2020 5:37 PM

News Release

OMAHA-United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Michael Dean McCullar, 47, of Dwight, Nebraska, was sentenced today in Lincoln, Nebraska, by Chief United States District Judge John M. Gerrard to 360 months’ imprisonment for production of child pornography and 140 months for possessing child pornography.  The sentences were ordered to run consecutively.  McCullar was also ordered to pay $154,136.00 in restitution and assessments of $30,200.00. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.  Once released from prison, he will be on supervised release for the remainder of his life. There is no parole in the federal system. 

In February 2019, Special Agents of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office in Omaha received an investigative lead from agents in Boston, Massachusetts regarding the possible production of child pornography by a suspect in Dwight, Nebraska.  Agents in HSI Boston had been conducting an investigation into persons utilizing various chat rooms and dark web internet sites to discuss and trade child pornography. Agents noted an individual (later identified as McCullar) who was sharing self-produced images and initiated a conversation with him.  McCullar provided images to the agent.

In February 2019, agents served a federal search warrant at McCullar’s residence and discovered McCullar was in Tampa, Florida on a business trip.  Agents located McCullar in Tampa and he was transported back to Nebraska.  Once interviewed, McCullar admitted to producing and sharing the images of child pornography.  Upon examination of the devices seized from McCullar, more than 30,000 images and 1,500 videos of child pornography were recovered.

U.S. Attorney Kelly praised the investigative efforts of Homeland Security Investigations in locating and stopping this dangerous child predator.  U.S. Attorney Kelly noted that today’s sentencing, totaling 41 years and 10 months, should send a clear message to those who prey on our children that their actions will result in the most severe of consequences.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS, 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations.