GREENEVILLE, TN—Michael J. Noble, 31, of
Kingsport, Tennessee, was convicted of possession of child pornography
following a two-and-a-half-day trial in U.S. District Court, Greeneville,
Tennessee.
Sentencing is set for November 26, 2012
at 9:00 a.m. Noble faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up
to $250,000, and up to life on supervised release following the prison term.
The investigation of Noble began when
his spouse discovered pornographic images of young children on his computer and
a videotape made by him of young female children at local swimming pools,
shopping centers, and other publicly viewed areas. Thereafter, the Kingsport
Police Department seized a computer and external hard drives from the Noble’s
apartment. A forensic examination of the seized computer and hard drives
revealed over 2,300 images containing child pornography and videos containing
child pornography.
Law enforcement agencies participating
in the joint investigation which led to indictment and subsequent conviction of
Noble included the Kingsport Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of
Investigation’s Technical Services Unit, and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Gregory Bowman represented the United States at
trial.
This case was brought as part of Project
Safe Childhood (PSC), a Department initiative launched in 2006 that aims to
combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes
against children. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice
Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals
federal, state, tribal, 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 visit
ProjectSafeChildhood.gov.
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