United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced two unrelated sentencings under the Project Safe Childhood initiative. Both defendants were sentenced earlier this week in United States District Court.

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald said, “We have seen a dramatic uptick in the number of cases involving the sexual abuse of minors. I am committed to using every available resource to combat this disturbing trend. One such resource is the Project Safe Childhood initiative which brings together child protection experts nationwide that are laser focused on bringing these predators to justice.”

MICHAEL CARLOS MITCHELL, 43, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for two counts of production of child pornography on December 19, 2019, by United States District Court Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright, in St. Paul. MITCHELL, who pleaded guilty on December 19, 2018, created hundreds of videos and thousands of images of himself sexually abusing a child under the age of 10 years old. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in conjunction with assistance from the Minnetonka, Minnesota, Police Department.  

MARTY KEITH LARSON, 33, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for production of child pornography and distribution of child pornography. LARSON was sentenced on December 17, 2019, by United States District Court Judge Patrick J. Schiltz, in Minneapolis. LARSON, who pleaded guilty to one count each, on August 29, 2019, created sexual abuse images of a minor under the age of 10 and distributed them using Kik Messenger application. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations with the assistance of the Itasca County, Minnesota, Sheriff’s Office.

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Manda M. Sertich.

These cases were 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 the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

If you know of any child who may have been a victim of exploitation, please call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or visit NCMEC’s web site at www.missingkids.com.

Defendant Information:

MICHAEL CARLOS MITCHELL, 43

Minnetonka, Minn.

Convicted:

Production of Child Pornography, 2 counts

Sentenced:

40 years in prison

25 years supervised release

 

MARTY KEITH LARSON, 33

Keewatin, Minn.

Convicted:

Production of Child Pornography, 1 count

Distribution of Child Pornography, 1 count

Sentenced:

25 years in prison

10 years supervised release

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600