4-25-2019

SHORELINE, Wash. — A Shoreline man was sentenced Monday to 55 years in prison for his role in an international child pornography ring.

30-year-old Michael Berenson was sentenced in Michigan and was also ordered to pay $5,000 to each identified victim, with his total currently at more than $80,000.

Berenson was part of a group that enticed young girls into producing pornography on an unmonitored chatroom-based website and is the 25th person to be sentenced in Michigan for their use of this website.

Berenson admitted to victimizing more than 1,000 girls over the last decade, some as young as 9-years-old, and recorded over 1,128 hours of videos of child pornography and over 3,000 hours of child exploitative conduct.

“The way that these offenders worked together to manipulate innocent girls for their own sexual gratification is truly horrific.  And, the way that this defendant in particular extorted these children is especially heinous,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider.  “Parents, please speak with your children about sextortion and cyberbullying so we can keep all of our children safe.”