Texas man sentenced for creating child pornography groups online
ATLANTA - A Texas man was sentenced this week for his role in creating an online group that encouraged participants to "share pictures and videos of all things taboo," including child pornography and incest.
Michael Stephen Autry, 42, of Brownwood, Texas, was sentenced to 12 years, six months in prison to be followed by lifetime supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said. Autry entered a guilty plea for to distribution of child pornography back in June.
U.S. Attorney Erskine said Autry created a group on the social media platform Kik called "Taboo Train 2.0" in early June 2017 the purpose which was to "share pics and videos of all things taboo…. incest, young, your own family members, etc. to discuss taboo fantasies and real life stories."
"It shocks the conscience when someone finds pleasure in looking at photos and videos showing children being sexually abused," said U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. "It is even more disturbing when someone like Autry gathers men together in online groups for the purpose of sharing these horrific images. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that these persons receive their full measure of justice."
An undercover FBI agent was able to infiltrate the group and found 50 people in the group, many who lived outside the U.S. Autry created a second group a few weeks later he named "The Common Interest" which catered to "the subject matter is all things taboo… specifically incest, teens, and taboo relationships (young/old, teacher/student, etc.)" and invited members to "share your stories, pics, videos, fantasies, etc!" Again, the FBI was able to monitor the group’s activity and found 60 members of varying participation.
The FBI also was able to track Autry’s movements and found he joined two other groups later that year that shared countless images and videos of children being sexually abused.
"The victimization of a child doesn’t end when that child’s pornographic images are recorded. Every time an individual like Autry possesses and shares those images amongst the group he created, those children are victimized over, and over," said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. "The FBI will always make it a top priority to protect our most vulnerable citizens and put away anyone who would seek to bring them harm."
The case was being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.
The US Attorney’s Office said 11 other people have been charged with child pornography offenses because of their membership in these Kik groups.
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