RALEIGH - United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court today, MICHAEL JOSEPH PLOCAR, 62pled guilty before Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever III to receipt of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2), during his arraignment.
On March 19, 2014, a Criminal Indictment was filed charging PLOCAR with the violation.
In October 2012, according to the investigation, an undercover officer discovered that PLOCAR’s IP address was downloading and sharing Child Pornography (CP). On Nov. 1, 2012, a search warrant was executed at PLOCAR’s home and he was present at the time. During his non-custodial interview, PLOCAR admitted that he had been downloading and viewing child pornography for the past several years. Agents seized several computers, as well as other media devices, including a harddrive which was located in a locked safe that PLOCAR admitted he used to back-up his CP files. A subsequent computer forensics examination of these items revealed approximately 44 videos of CP on 2 computers and 3 harddrives. The videos were lengthy, several over 30 minutes long.
At sentencing, scheduled for the Jan. 12, 2015 term of court, PLOCAR faces up to 20 years imprisonment. If he has had prior convictions relating to aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, abusive conduct involving a minor or ward, sex trafficking of children, or the production, receipt, possession, sale, distribution, shipment, or transportation of children pornography, the penalty increases to up to 40 years imprisonment.
Investigation of this case was conducted by HSI, Wake County Sheriff’s Office, Cary Police Department, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Ethan Ontjes prosecuted the case for the United States.
This case was part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, a national program aimed at ensuring that criminals exploiting children are effectively prosecuted by making full use of all available law enforcement resources at every level. For more information about this important national project, Project Safe Childhood, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
