Michael Buchno-Factor, a 36-year-old resident of Sacramento, received a 30-year prison sentence from U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on Tuesday. This sentence will be followed by a life-term of supervised release and an order to pay $29,000 in restitution for his involvement in the sexual exploitation of a child. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Court documents revealed that Buchno-Factor had previously been convicted for abusive sexual contact with a minor. While on parole, authorities seized his cellphones, leading to his admission of using encrypted messaging and social media platforms. A subsequent search uncovered child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on these devices, including images of a minor girl from another country and messages requesting sexually explicit images involving the victim. Further investigations confirmed that Buchno-Factor distributed CSAM containing images of the minor.
The investigation was conducted by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the Internet Crimes against Children Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Yang led the prosecution.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. The project involves collaboration among federal, state, and local resources to apprehend and prosecute offenders while identifying and rescuing victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood or internet safety education resources, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.