Sex offender sentenced to prison after found in possession of child pornography

TOPEKA, KAN. - A previously convicted sex offender was sentenced to 137 months in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) while he was on supervised release for similar offences.

According to court documents, Michael Pinkerton, 48, of Topeka pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor - possession of child pornography.

In September 2010, a U.S. District Court judge in the Western District of Missouri sentenced Pinkerton to 120 months in prison followed by 60 months of supervised release after convictions for attempted receipt of child pornography and attempted possession of child of pornography.

In April 2024, while Pinkerton was living in Kansas on supervised release, two U.S Probation Office officers went to his home in Topeka. They observed Pinkerton attempting to hide something and asked him what it was. Pinkerton admitted to having an unauthorized smartphone that contained saved images of CSAM. Investigators later confirmed the phone contained CSAM.

"After child sex offenders complete their prison sentences, tools like supervised release and registries are used to monitor them and try to keep our communities safe from deviant behavior. These mechanisms worked in this case thanks to the proactive work of our probation officers." said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Probation Office, and Topeka Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Walton prosecuted the case.

Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, 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 about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

###