PHILADELPHIA, PA — Donald Michael, 47, of Queen Creek, Arizona, pleaded guilty on Thursday to multiple charges of child pornography, including conspiracy to manufacture, receive, and distribute explicit materials involving minors. The case, presided over by United States District Court Judge Mark A. Kearney, revealed the disturbing methods Michael and his co-conspirators used to exploit young boys.
Michael, a former baseball coach with over two decades of experience mentoring minor boys, admitted to participating in an 18-month-long scheme alongside Andrew Wolf, a former teacher at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, and Kray Strange, of Carthage, New York. Both co-conspirators were previously convicted and sentenced.
Using fake online profiles, the group posed as teenaged girls to engage Wolf’s current and former students in graphic conversations, coercing them into creating and sending explicit images. When victims resisted, the defendants employed blackmail and extortion to force compliance. Even after Wolf and Strange were arrested, Michael continued his predatory behavior, targeting participants in the Little League World Series.
“Donald Michael and his co-conspirators strategized at length about how to ‘bait’ young boys into taking and sending explicit images of themselves,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf. “They reveled in the anonymity that the internet provided them to target and catfish their young victims. Unmasking these predators is a priority for my office and the FBI, as we work to protect children everywhere from sexual exploitation.”
Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia, added, “This serves as a reminder how seriously the FBI and our partners take the online victimization of minors. We will continue to work tirelessly to protect children from abuse and exploitation, and to ensure that those who harm them will be held accountable.”
Michael, who was indicted in July 2024, faces sentencing on August 14. He could receive a minimum of 15 years and up to 110 years in federal prison, along with lifetime supervised release and mandatory registration as a sex offender under state and federal law.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly Harrell and Michelle Rotella.
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