Man Gets 30 Years for Possessing Child Porn

A Franklin County man convicted of child pornography charges was sentenced Tuesday to serve a 30-year prison sentence.

U.S. District Court Judge Carol E. Jackson handed down the lengthy sentence in the case of Michael Manning, 33.

A federal jury found Manning guilty of two felony charges following a four-day trial in September.

Manning was sentenced on one count each of receiving and possession of child pornography.

The case stems from an investigation that began in July 2010 after an undercover officer with the South Central Computer Crimes Task Force made contact with Manning who “offered 22 images consistent with child pornography,” according to Detective Lt. Chuck Subke of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.

The undercover officer asked for images and received three images along with one video, Subke said.

In the process, the computer crimes task force captured the suspect’s IP (Internet provider) address and learned that he lived in Franklin County.

They then contacted Subke who, after conducting some surveillance, served a search warrant Sept. 29, 2010, at Manning’s home in Miramiquoa Village south of Sullivan, according to reports.

The suspect’s computer was seized and during a forensics analysis, investigators found over 2,500 images and approximately 135 videos related to child pornography, Subke said.

Also involved in the investigation were the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Regional Computer Crime Education and Enforcement Group. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker handled prosecution of the case.