Michael Deckinga, a 42-year-old resident of Dyer, Indiana, was sentenced on April 15 by United States District Court Judge Philip S. Simon after pleading guilty to distribution of child pornography, according to an announcement from United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Deckinga received a sentence of 180 months in prison and will serve 15 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution to the victims involved in the offense.
Court documents show that between November 22, 2024 and May 14, 2025, Deckinga distributed child pornography and admitted to accessing child sexual abuse material on Kik Messenger for about five years.
“The Defendant was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. To the public, Michael Deckinga presented himself as Vice President of Advancement at Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana dedicated to providing a religiously inspired education to Indiana’s young people,” said U.S. Attorney Mildred. “But once behind the Internet’s veil of anonymity, Deckinga betrayed his true self. He collected a trove of some of the vilest child pornography available, which he then distributed to likeminded users. Over the same period, he sent a host of graphic online messages to multiple purported minors to solicit additional child pornography. Thankfully, agents from Homeland Security Investigations, working closely with partners in the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, uncovered Deckinga’s crimes so that he could be held accountable by the federal justice system. I thank HSI, the Indiana State Police, and the Dyer Police Department for their excellent investigative work. I also thank Mr. Patrick Harrington’s team from the Tippecanoe County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and AUSA Emily Morgan from the US Attorney’s Office for their excellent work bringing this case to a just conclusion. Their combined efforts show how effective Project Safe Childhood can be when its members work as a team and a predator is now behind bars.”
HSI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino said: “Homeland Security Investigations will relentlessly pursue those who distribute child pornography and exploit innocent children. Our agents are dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society and ensuring that offenders are brought to justice. We thank our law enforcement partners for their collaboration and remain committed to safeguarding our communities from these horrific crimes.”
All agencies involved expressed gratitude toward community support during this investigation.
The investigation included Homeland Security Investigations with help from several local agencies including Indiana State Police units and Tippecanoe County Prosecutor’s Office; Assistant United States Attorney Emily Morgan prosecuted this case.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood—a Department of Justice initiative started in 2006 aimed at protecting children nationwide from exploitation.
