Owasso Man Sentenced After Being Ranked #1 in Oklahoma for Child Pornography

TULSA, Okla. - Today, U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Michael Joseph Moreland, 33, for Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography in Indian Country. Judge Hill ordered Moreland to serve 121 months imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release. Upon his release, Moreland will also be required to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, between Jun. 2022 and May 2023, Moreland knowingly received, distributed, and possessed at least 2,947 images and 50 videos of child pornography on his computer. These included images and videos depicting infant/toddler abuse, bestiality, and bondage of minor child victims. In the days leading up to Moreland's arrest, he was frequently in the top five and often the number one downloader of child pornography in Oklahoma.

A federal statute for victims of child pornography allows defendants found guilty of child pornography trafficking offenses to pay restitution to known victims. The court in this case ordered $15,000 in victim restitution.

Moreland will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

The Homeland Security Investigations, Edmond Police Department, and Owasso Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Jiang prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ's PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.