Northern California man identified in Australian child pornography probe sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A northern California man who vowed in an online chat with an undercover investigator in Australia to drug and molest a juvenile girl has been sentenced to 19 years and seven months in federal prison.

Michael Elliot Papac, 47, of Alturas, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez for receiving and distributing child pornography. Upon completion of his prison term, Papac will be subject to a lifetime of supervised release.

This case was the product of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from the Modoc County Sheriff's Office and the Queensland Police Service in Australia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh F. Sigal prosecuted the case.

According to court documents, Papac was arrested Feb. 14 by HSI special agents after U.S. authorities received a referral from the Queensland Police Service in Australia regarding the potential sexual abuse of a minor. A covert Internet investigator in Queensland came into contact with Papac on a Russian website known as a source of child pornography. Papac had posted photos of a sleeping 8-year-old girl with her pajama top unbuttoned. In online chats with the Australian investigator, Papac discussed his plan to sedate and molest the girl while she slept and take and distribute photographs of the molestation. With the assistance of Australian police, HSI special agents were able to trace Papac's email to his residence in Alturas and arrest him before he could act on his plan. In addition, on at least three separate occasions between Feb. 7 and Feb. 10, Papac sent and received child pornography.

Papac pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges June 24. He had been convicted in 2005 in Modoc County for lewd acts with a minor and had served six years in prison.

At sentencing, Judge Mendez noted that Papac "learned nothing" from his prior state prison term and explained that the defendant has "created and continues to create a danger to the public," and that but for the "terrific" work of law enforcement, "further damage was not done" to the victim.

This case is a product of HSI's Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators, and an ongoing Department of Justice program known as Project Safe Childhood, which is designed to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc

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.

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.