South Lake Tahoe, Calif. (November 13, 2023) – Timothy Mackey, 42, of South Lake Tahoe, was sentenced today [Monday November 13, 2023] to five years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release for distribution of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
[He pleaded guilty in federal court in June 2023 to distributing child pornography.]
According to court documents, Mackey was a member of chat groups that shared child pornography on the social media platform LiveMe, including a group named “No Limit!!!” On two occasions in February 2020, Mackey, using the username “bag of rock,” posted nine images of child pornography in the “No Limit!!!” group. Mackey was also the administrator of at least one LiveMe chat group devoted to the exchange of child pornography, meaning he moderated the chat and was able to decide who entered the chatroom.
Mackey had worked as a snowboarding instructor and applied to become a foster parent prior to his arrest in April 2020. [snowboarding instructor at Heavenly Mountain Resort and also as a junior varsity boys soccer coach at South Lake Tahoe High School]
[Mackey was living with his toddler, worked with children as a ski and snowboard instructor, and was approved to be a foster parent with his wife prior to his April 2020 arrest, prosecutors said in court filings.]
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department and South Lake Tahoe Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow prosecuted the case.
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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
Related story from Fox10 https://www.foxla.com/news/liveme-deletes-600k-accounts-after-fox-11-reveals-pedophiles-use-app-to-sexually-exploit-kids
