June 13, 2007

Registered Michigan sex offender sentenced to 27 months for transmitting threats to teens
Threatened to kill young women and their families

DETROIT - A registered sex offender from Port Huron, Mich., was sentenced here today for transmitting threatening communications via the Internet, announced U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy and Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Detroit.

Nicholas Stevenson, 20, was sentenced to two years, three months in federal prison before U.S. District Court Judge Marianne O. Battani after pleading guilty to three counts of transmitting threatening communications.

The ICE investigation began in September 2005 after agents received information about threats sent to underage females via the Internet. The investigation identified Stevenson, a registered Michigan sex offender, as the sender.

While online, Stevenson instant-messaged three teenage girls, claiming to be a modeling recruiter from "buddypic.com" named Jake. During the Internet conversations, Stevenson offered the girls modeling jobs and requested that they model in front of their web camera. His requests escalated to requiring that they remove all of their clothing and pose naked in front of their web camera. If they refused to remove their clothing, Stevenson threatened to kill the girls and their families. The threats appeared genuine to the girls because Stevenson, during the conversations, revealed their families' names, phone numbers, and addresses.

Stevenson pleaded guilty in February 2007 to transmitting threatening communications to teenagers in the States of Nebraska, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

"It's sobering to realize that our kids are often only a mouse click away from danger and deception," said Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Detroit. "Through Operation Predator, ICE special agents will continue to help keep people like Mr. Stevenson away from our children."

United States Attorney Stephen J. Murphy said, "For better or for worse, the Internet has become part of our daily lives. Those who depend on the Internet for ease of communication must be able to access online services free of threat from harm. Today's significant sentence sends a powerful message: no matter how young or old you are, using the Internet to communicate serious threats can land you in federal prison for an unexpectedly long period of time."

This case is part of Operation Predator, ICE's comprehensive initiative to safeguard children from foreign national pedophiles, international sex tourists, Internet child pornographers, and human traffickers. Since Operation Predator was launched in July 2003, ICE agents have arrested more than 10,000 individuals nationwide, including 250 in Michigan.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. Investigators staff this hotline around the clock. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Cohen, Eastern District of Michigan, prosecuted this case

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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