FORT WORTH - A Fort Worth man was sentenced to 12-and-a- half years in federal prison on distribution of child pornography charges.
Michael Kristopher Gilbert, 30, received the penalty from U.S. District Judge Terry Means in Fort Worth, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña.An undercover FBI agent discovered Gilbert's crimes in October 2011 while investigating a peer-to-peer file-sharing network on the Internet, the release stated.According to a criminal complaint in the case, the agent entered Gilbert's shared directories and was able to download images of boys engaged in sexual acts.Agents executed a search warrant of Gilbert's home and he subsequently admitted to "downloading and trading" child pornography using the Internet for approximately 10 years, according to the complaint.Gilbert has been in federal custody since April, the release stated.The case was investigated and prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to fight the sexual exploitation and abuse of children. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aisha Saleem handled the prosecution, according to the release.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
