Former Scott Air Force Base airman sentenced to prison in child porn case
A former senior airman at Scott Air Force Base has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after persuading girls he met online to send him sexually explicit images, some of which he distributed to others.
Law enforcement alleged Michael E. McCay, 33, contacted the girls, ages 11 and 12, between February 2023 and January 2024. They communicated through Roblox, Snapchat, Kik and Likee, according to investigators who searched his home at Scott Air Force Base.
McCay pleaded guilty in January to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of distribution of child porn. U.S. District Judge Nancy Rosenstengel of the Southern District of Illinois handed down the sentence on June 10.
“Our brave servicemembers protect the vulnerable and serve our nation with honor. McCay’s conduct is deeply shocking because it betrays everything it means to serve,” U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft stated in a news release from Tuesday announcing McCay’s sentence.
Federal Public Defender Kim Freter, who represented McCay, could not immediately be reached for comment.
According to a list of agreed upon facts, investigators who searched McCay’s home and electronic devices in 2023 found about 4,000 sexually explicit images and videos of children who were identified, along with about 18,000 more depicting children who could not be identified, and his communications with minors.
Law enforcement also searched a new cellphone he had in 2024 and again found thousands of images and additional communications, according to the court document.
The document states that McCay told a 12-year-old he was a girl, told an 11-year-old he was 18 and sent them both threatening messages to get them to share sexually explicit images.
The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ali Burns prosecuted the case.
The case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 1:00 PM.
