A Dauphin County man has been sentenced to 29 years in federal prison for producing child pornography. Michael Boyd Damgaard, 37, received the sentence from United States District Judge Keli M. Neary. After his release, Damgaard will be under supervised release for 15 years.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Damgaard contacted two adolescent girls aged 14 and 15 through online platforms between April and June 2020. After learning their ages, he engaged in illegal sexual activity with them. He created videos and digital images of his acts with one victim and persuaded both victims to send him sexually explicit images via online messaging.
Damgaard pleaded guilty on September 25, 2024, to producing child pornography as part of a plea agreement. He admitted to all offenses charged in the federal indictment: producing, receiving, and possessing child pornography as well as coercing minors into illicit sexual activity.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Christian T. Haugsby prosecuted it.
The prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation by coordinating efforts among federal, state, and local agencies to apprehend offenders and assist victims (https://www.justice.gov/psc).
“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 individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.”
