36-year-old Lebanon man sentenced 20 years for sexually exploiting a child, officials say

Matthew Toth, Lebanon Daily News
·2 min read
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A 36-year-old Lebanon man was sentenced Thursday for sexually exploiting a child in 2021 for the purpose of producing images.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Michael Rankin was sentenced on April 27 by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner to 20 years’ imprisonment for sexually exploiting a child.

Rankin previously admitted to sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl in the summer of 2021 and taking pictures of that assault, according to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam.

"Rankin also admitted that he possessed hundreds of images or videos of child pornography, some of which depicted infants and very young children," officials said in a release Monday.

Between June 2021 and August 2021, Rankin induced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing images of that conduct. Officials said Rankin distributed images in August 2021 and possessed child pornography in October 2021 when he was arrested by Pennsylvania State Police.

The Court also ordered a 15-year term of supervised release to follow the term of imprisonment.

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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.

Rankin's case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli prosecuted the case.

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The Department of Human Services operates a 24/7 hotline to report suspected child abuse or concerns about the welfare of a child. ChildLine can be reached at 800-932-0313.

Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on Twitter at @DAMattToth.

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Lebanon man sentenced 20 years for sexually exploiting a child