Man Sentenced to Over Seven Years for Distribution and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

Michael Kimmerle was found with over 600 illicit images and distributed video files through an online peer-to-peer network.

A Bergen County man has been sentenced to 86 months in federal prison for distributing and possessing images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Michael Kimmerle, 35, of New Milford, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark federal court to one count of distribution and one count of possession of child pornography. In addition to the prison sentence, Kimmerle was ordered to serve five years of supervised release and pay $59,500 in restitution to victims.

According to court documents and statements made during the proceedings, between August 24, 2021, and August 7, 2022, Kimmerle used a publicly accessible peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing network to distribute videos depicting child sexual abuse. Undercover law enforcement officers accessed the files during online sessions, identifying an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with Kimmerle’s residence.

A subsequent search of Kimmerle’s home on September 14, 2022, led to the discovery of more than 600 thumbnail images of child pornography on his laptop. Several of the images originated from the videos Kimmerle had distributed online.

The investigation was conducted by special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chelsea D. Coleman of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark.

The prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the increasing threat of child sexual exploitation. The initiative brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement to identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals involved in the exploitation of children, and to assist in the recovery of victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/psc.