A Bergen County man has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for distributing and possessing child pornography, as announced by U.S. Attorney Alina Habba. Michael Kimmerle, aged 35, residing in New Milford, New Jersey, was sentenced to 86 months following his guilty plea. The case was heard by U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark's federal court.
Kimmerle had distributed video files of child sexual abuse between August 2021 and August 2022 using a publicly available peer-to-peer file-sharing program. Law enforcement conducted undercover online sessions to access this program, where they connected Kimmerle's residence to several video files containing child sexual abuse via his internet protocol address. A search on September 14, 2022, revealed over 600 thumbnail images on his laptop related to the distributed files.
Alongside the prison term, Kimmerle will undergo five years of supervised release and has been ordered to pay $59,500 in restitution to the victims. The investigation, which led to Kimmerle’s sentencing, was conducted by special agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel.
The case formed part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood, initiated in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative pools federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute offenders, as well as identify and rescue victims.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chelsea D. Coleman of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark. Kimmerle was represented by defense counsel John J. Bruno, Jr., Esq.
For further information about Project Safe Childhood, visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc.
