A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Eagle River man was arrested by the FBI Wednesday on criminal charges related to his alleged possession of child pornography and attempted coercion of a minor.
According to court documents, Michael Koetter, 28, possessed child pornography depicting minors as young as toddlers. He also allegedly attempted to induce, entice, or coerce a minor to engage in sexually explicit behavior by seeking out girls under 12 years old that “have rates,” which is a term often used in the commercial sex industry referring to the price to perform sex acts or purchase sexually explicit images.
Koetter is charged with possession of child pornography depicting minors who have not attained 12 years of age, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §2252A(a)(5)(b) and (b)(2), and attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §2422(b). If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska and Special Agent in Charge Antony Jung of the FBI Anchorage Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Anchorage Field Office is investigating the case. If anyone has information concerning Koetter’s alleged actions or may have encountered someone in person or online while in Alaska or Indiana using the name Michael Koetter or the username “sskies420,” please contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office at (907) 276-4441 or anonymously at tips.fbi.gov.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Brickey is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the
Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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