Michael Hochman, a 52-year-old resident of Warminster, Pennsylvania, has been handed a 20-year prison term following his plea of guilty to the charge of receiving child pornography. According to a statement released by the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge and includes an additional decade of supervised release after Hochman serves his time.
Previously, Hochman was convicted in 2002 on a charge relating to sexual misconduct with a minor in the state of Kansas, where he served a 55-month prison sentence. Hochman's nefarious activities involved engaging in online communication with a then 13-year-old girl, coaxing her into producing sexually explicit images, and subsequently traveling to meet and engage in sexual acts with the child. According to the United States Attorney's Office, the latest conviction stems from his possession of a large cache of digital child sexual abuse material.
The case falls under the larger umbrella of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative conceived by the Department of Justice in 2006 to address and curtail the widespread issue of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Bridging Federal, state, and local efforts, the program aims to effectively track down and bring to justice individuals who exploit children through the internet while also working towards identifying and aiding the victims. More details on the initiative can be found on the project's official website.
Federal Bureau of Investigation's Philadelphia division, within its Fort Washington Resident Agency, conducted the investigation that led to Hochman's arrest and eventual sentencing. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rotella was at the helm of the prosecution. This sentencing marks yet another victory for Project Safe Childhood in its ongoing war against online child exploitation crimes, a battle that continues to necessitate constant vigilance in the digital era.
