Canton man sentenced in Asheville federal court for child pornography offenses
ASHEVILLE — A Canton man will serve about 32 years in federal prison after he traveled to Fort Mill, South Carolina, to engage in illicit sex acts with a minor while being a registered sex offender, Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, said in a news statement.
Michael John Worley, 51, was sentenced April 25 in WNC’s federal court in Asheville, after he pleaded guilty in March of last year to attempting to use a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography, according to the news release from King’s Office.
U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger also ordered Worley to remain under court supervision for the rest of his life and to register as a sex offender after his release from prison.
Undercover operation snares repeat child predator
In March 2021, the York County, South Carolina, Sheriff’s Department began an undercover operation aimed at identifying child predators using social media and other messaging applications, such as Tagged.com, to contact minors, according to court documents.
Detectives created an undercover account posing as a fake 14-year-old female named “Cali” from Fort Mill, South Carolina, court documents show. Soon after, the account received a message from the screenname “M W,” later identified as Worley.
After his initial message, the undercover detective responded as “Cali,” saying she was 14 years old. They continued to exchange messages on the social networking site before swapping cell phone numbers and moving the conversation to text messages.
More: Western NC camp facing probe for child death says court should dismiss sexual abuse suit
Over the next 15 days, Worley’s messages devolved into talking about the two of them having sex and asking “Cali” to send explicit pictures to him, court records said. The undercover detectives did not send any images or videos depicting child pornography.
Worley also referenced his previous federal conviction from 2017, when he was sentenced to 60 months in prison for possessing child pornography.
In messages with “Cali,” Worley said, “he was not supposed to be talking to a minor, that he had been in trouble in the past, and that he did not want to get in trouble again,” the release said.
Eventually, Worley traveled from Haywood County to a residence in Fort Mill where he thought he’d be meeting the minor to engage in sexual acts. He was arrested by the York County Sheriff’s Office when he arrived on scene.
“Let this send a strong message to any child predator, if you hunt our children, you will become the hunted,” Sheriff Kevin Tolson of the York County Sheriff’s Office said in the news release.
More: Virginia man who drove to WNC for sex acts with toddler federally convicted, sentenced
More: Child sexual abuse lawsuit: Family sues Buncombe County Board of Education
This case was a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative marshalling federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet. Project Safe Childhood was launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice.
Sexual assault of children is a rampant public health problem in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which estimates 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys experience child sexual abuse at some point in childhood.
Keeping children safe online
The U.S. Attorney's Office encourages parents, guardians and caregivers to take the following measures to increase online safety:
Discuss internet safety and develop an online safety plan with children for engaging in online activity. Establish clear guidelines, teach children to spot red flags, and encourage children to ask questions and have open communication with you.
Supervise young children's use of the internet, including periodically checking their profiles and posts. Keep electronic devices in open, common areas of the home and consider setting time limits for their use.
Review games, apps and social media sites before they are downloaded or used by children. Pay particular attention to apps and sites that feature end-to-end encryption, direct messaging, video chats, file uploads, and user anonymity, which are frequently relied upon by online child predators.
Adjust privacy setting and use parental controls for online games, apps, social medial sites, and electronic devices.
Avoid sharing personal information, photos and videos online in public forums or with people you do not know in real life. In particular, explain to children that images posted online will be permanently on the internet.
Teach children about body safety and boundaries, including the importance of saying ‘no’ to inappropriate requests both in the physical world and the virtual world.
Be alert to potential signs of abuse, including changes in children’s use of electronic devices, attempts to conceal online activity, withdrawn behavior, angry outbursts, anxiety, and depression.
Encourage children to tell a parent, guardian or other trusted adult if anyone asks them to engage in inappropriate behavior.
Immediately report suspected online enticement or exploitation of a child by alerting local law enforcement, contacting the FBI at tips.fbi.gov, or filing a report with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 800-843-5678 or report.cybertip.org.
More: Adult victim wins $1M against child sex abuser, coach at former Asheville Christian school
Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Canton man sentenced for child sex charge in Asheville federal court
