ALBANY, NEW YORK - Michael Kurtz, age 57, of Albany, pled guilty today to charges of distribution and possession of child pornography. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
In pleading guilty before United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino, Kurtz admitted that between Sept. 29, 2018 and at least Jan. 12, 2019, he used a peer-to-peer file sharing software program installed on his computer to distribute approximately 28 videos of child pornography from his home in Albany. Kurtz also admitted to possessing over 200 images of child pornography on his home computer at the time of his arrest on March 18, 2019.
Kurtz faces at least 5 years and up to 20 years in prison, as well as a term of supervised release of between 5 years and life. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 28, 2021 in Albany. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. Upon his release from prison, Kurtz will also be required to register as a sex offender in any state where he lives, is employed, or is a student.
This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, including investigators from the New York State Police Computer Crimes Unit, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashlyn Miranda and Rachel Williams.
This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
