May 19, 2026 – SACRAMENTO, CA – Michael David Dickey, 31, of Sacramento, was sentenced on Monday by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 22 years and six months in prison for sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

Image by Ray Shrewsberry • Ray_Shrewsberry from Pixabay 

According to court documents, in 2024, Dickey was identified during a law enforcement investigation into forums on the dark web where posters traded child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Law enforcement traced several usernames to Dickey whose posts indicated that he recorded video of a 13-year-old boy engaging in sexually explicit activity and posted it onto the forums. A search warrant revealed an extensive collection of CSAM. Dickey pleaded guilty on December 8, 2025.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Yang prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

Source: DOJ Release