A Hillsville, Virginia man was sentenced on Apr. 6 to 156 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor for criminal sexual activity.
Michael Tibbs, age 25, from Carroll County, admitted guilt to the charge following an investigation that began when a then-15-year-old victim reported his actions to the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center in April 2023. The victim said Tibbs had groomed her for about a year and repeatedly requested nude images.
According to court documents, FBI agents identified Tibbs as the individual involved and obtained Discord message records showing that since November 2022 he engaged in sexual conversations with several minor girls. He paid them to record and send sexually explicit images and videos. Some victims were interviewed by agents and confirmed receiving payment from Tibbs for creating such content.
On July 18, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Tibbs’ residence where they seized his phone containing numerous sexually explicit images and videos of women whose ages could not be determined. Among these materials were two videos featuring a known minor victim who was only thirteen years old. The phone also contained hundreds of computer-generated or animated depictions of children being graphically abused.
Tibbs told investigators he used Discord to purchase sexual content from minors—estimating purchases from between ten and fifteen underage girls—and said his interest began after viewing child pornography on TikTok.
First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division announced the sentence. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Inman.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 aimed at protecting children from exploitation through coordination among federal, state, and local agencies.
