Former teacher sentenced to 20 years in prison on child pornography charges
Had nearly 1 million images and videos
DETROIT — A former teacher with Utica Community Schools was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on child pornography charges. The sentence is the result of an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Gary Kleibert, 63, of Washington Township, Mich., was sentenced in U.S. District Court Friday to 240 months in prison for possession and receipt of child pornography.
U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade, Eastern District of Michigan and Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of HSI Michigan and Ohio announced the sentence.
Kleibert was arrested March 2011 after a federal search warrant executed at his home revealed an enormous trove of images and videos of child pornography hidden in a concealed basement compartment. The nearly 1,000,000 images and videos were stored on several computers and digital storage devices. Further investigation conducted by HSI special agents revealed that Kleibert also had illegal sexual contact with underage family members.
"Children who are sexually exploited either physically or through the dissemination of child pornography suffer immeasurable harm," said Moskowitz. "And while this significant sentence cannot repair the damage done, it should serve as a stark reminder that we are watching and the aggressive investigation and prosecution of predators remains a high priority for HSI."
As part of Operation Predator, HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or its online tip form. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.
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