Former Newport News Teacher Sentenced for Child Pornography

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A former teacher with the Newport News school system was sentenced today to five years in prison for receiving and uploading images of child sexual abuse.

According to court documents, in March of 2018, Michael Scott Porter, 51, of Newport News, uploaded images of child sexual abuse to a Microsoft OneDrive account. Microsoft reported the incident to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) consistent with federal law. Search warrants were subsequently obtained for the account and home of Porter, and during the search, law enforcement discovered over 2400 images of child sexual abuse in the Microsoft OneDrive account as well as on other devices in Porter’s home.

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. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa R. McKeel prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:19-cr-74.