Dyer Man Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison For Distribution of Child Pornography

HAMMOND - Michael Deckinga, 42 years old, of Dyer, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip S. Simon after pleading guilty to Distribution of Child Pornography, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.

Michael Deckinga was sentenced to 180 months in prison, 15 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution to the victims of the offense.

According to documents in the case, between November 22, 2024, and May 14, 2025, Deckinga distributed child pornography, and further he admitted to accessing child sexual abuse material on Kik Messenger for approximately 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.

"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," said HSI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino.

All of the agencies involved in the investigation and prosecution of this case would like to thank the local community for their outpouring of support.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Indiana State Police, the Indiana State Police Digital Forensics Unit, the Dyer Police Department, and the Tippecanoe County Prosecutor's Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily Morgan.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the DOJ's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.govLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..