Somerville man sentenced to 30 years in child porn case
U.S. District Judge Inge P. Johnson today sentenced a Somerville man to 30 years in prison in connection with child pornography case in which the suspect allegedly taped a nude 10-year-old girl.
Danny Michael Wilkes, 58, of Somerville, pleaded guilty in April to the child pornography charge for producing a videotape of a nude 10-year-old girl in 2008. On the videotape, Wilkes directed the child to make graphic anatomical displays.
At the time the video was made, Wilkes was dating the child’s mother. The videotape was not discovered until November 2010.
“We are committed to protecting our children from the brutality and cold-hearted abuse of predators who care only about satisfying their perverse desires and are indifferent to the pain and vulnerability of their victims,” U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance said.
Wilkes has remained in custody since his arrest in January.
He will be required to register as a sex offender. The judge ordered him to remain on supervised release for life after completing his prison sentence.
The U.S. Secret Service, the Alabama Bureau of Investigation and the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Stuart Burrell prosecuted the case.