North Carolina woman sentenced on child pornography charges

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A North Carolina woman was sentenced Tuesday to 17 years and six months in a federal prison for producing, receiving, possessing and distributing child pornography following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger also ordered Kimberly Rachael Moore, 31, of Tuckasegee, to serve under court supervision the rest of her life upon release from prison and to register as a sex offender.

In December 2012, a federal criminal indictment charged Moore with one count of production of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography and four counts of distribution of child pornography. Moore pleaded guilty to the charges in May 2013. According to court filings and proceedings, during the investigation detectives discovered an extensive collection of child pornography on Moore's computer hard drive, an email account and online photo sharing accounts.

Moore is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. Federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole. Moore was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

The investigation was part of HSI's Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 10,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2013, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI's Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.