ROANOKE, Va. – A former professor of communications at Virginia Tech, who used peer-to-peer filesharing software to download child pornography, was sentenced last week to 60 months in federal prison.

In September 2024, Michael Horning, 51, of Christiansburg, Va., pled guilty to a one-count Information charging him with knowingly possessing one or more visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, including prepubescent minors and minors who have not yet attained 12 years of age.

According to court documents, Horning downloaded child pornography between 2009 and 2021, sometimes through use of the peer-to-peer filesharing program, Freenet. At the time his electronic devices were seized in December 2021, Horning was in possession of 663 images and fourteen videos depicting child pornography, as well as additional child sex abuse material.

Of this child sex abuse material, thirty-eight images and one video depicted infants or toddlers and one video depicted sadomasochism.

Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Scheff prosecuted the case.