PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Michael Lee DePine, 63, of Pensacola, was sentenced today for the production and possession of child pornography. The Court sentenced DePine to 18 years in federal prison, to be followed by supervised release upon which DePine will have to register as a sex offender.
In December 2018, law enforcement officers received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that DePine and a local minor female were engaged in illicit sexual communications and activity via Facebook Messenger. Homeland Security Investigations and the Pensacola Police Department were able to geo-locate the criminal activity of DePine to his residence. This led law enforcement to obtaining a federal search warrant for DePine’s residence in Pensacola. In January 2019, law enforcement searched his residence. While searching the residence, DePine was located at his place of employment, Navy Federal Credit Union. A forensic review of DePine’s seized digital media confirmed that he was in possession of multiple child pornographic images of the minor victim. These images were produced by DePine of the minor female in his bedroom at the residence.
“There are few things more vile, and harder to comprehend, than sexual crimes against young innocents. We will pursue these sexual predators wherever and whenever we must, in order to get them out of our neighborhoods and into our prisons,” U.S. Attorney Keefe said.
The investigation revealed that DePine had been picking the minor female up at her residence in the middle of the night in order to bring her back to his residence and engage in sexual acts. DePine also provided the minor female with intimate apparel and electronic funds for her expenses. The government requested, during the sentencing hearing, that the Court not only sentence DePine to imprisonment, but also that he be required to forfeit his 2016 Lexus and his residence because both were utilized by DePine to commit his crimes. The Court ordered DePine to forfeit to the government his vehicle, his residence, and all the electronic devices he used to commit his crimes.
“This predator used social media as a means to continually abuse a young minor victim while producing multiple pornographic images of this child,” said HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero. “Now this felon will no longer be able to abuse children and he will be held accountable for his crimes, thanks to the diligent investigative work of the Pensacola Police Department, the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and our HSI special agents.”
“We are thankful for the hard work and support from our federal partners in helping us bring this case to a successful conclusion,” said Pensacola Police Chief Tommi Lyter.
