Monday, May 14, 2012

Michael J. Noble, Jr. Convicted on Child Pornography Charges


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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