An Eagle River resident, Michael Koetter, 30, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and will remain under supervised release for life after pleading guilty to several child exploitation charges. The sentencing took place in Anchorage following an investigation led by the FBI Anchorage Field Office.
Court documents state that on September 25, 2023, Koetter contacted a commercial sex worker in Alaska seeking minors under the age of 12 for sexual acts or explicit images. The sex worker reported this communication to law enforcement.
A search warrant executed by the FBI on Koetter’s person, vehicle, and residence uncovered multiple digital devices containing child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). Among the evidence was a thumb drive with over 1,400 files across roughly 72 subfolders depicting abuse involving pre-pubescent children. Authorities also found text files including one labeled “Manifesto.txt,” where Koetter described himself as a “hardcore child rapist” and detailed intentions to harm children.
Investigators learned that Koetter had previously been convicted of possessing child pornography in Indiana in 2019 before relocating to Alaska.
Koetter pleaded guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, receipt and distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
“Mr. Koetter is a recidivist sex offender who made the mistake of moving to Alaska and seeking another child to exploit. Now, he will spend the next 20 years behind bars and the rest of his life on supervised release,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “I want to thank the witness who came forward to report Mr. Koetter’s perversity, as that report and the hard work of our law enforcement partners has prevented the defendant from harming another child for the next 20 years.”
“Koetter, a repeat sex offender, committed disturbing child exploitation crimes across jurisdictions, and with a broader plan to continue sexually exploiting and traumatizing as many young children as he could,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Brandon Waddle of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “This investigation and sentencing represent the FBI’s commitment to ensuring sadistic child predators like Koetter are held accountable and removed from our communities. Our children are undeniably safer with him behind bars.”
The case was investigated by the FBI Anchorage Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force with help from local police agencies including the Anchorage Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander along with former Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Brickey prosecuted this case.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006—to address online child sexual exploitation through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local authorities aimed at apprehending offenders and rescuing victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
