Wyoming, Mich., man sentenced to prison child exploitation

A west Michigan man, a convicted sex offender, was sentenced to prison Tuesday on child exploitation offenses, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.

Timothy Baker, 42, of Wyoming was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison on child pornography charges, said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten of the Western District of Michigan in a news release. Baker, a previously convicted sex offender, was found guilty by a federal jury of charges in December.

"The crime of child exploitation is so depraved in part because its victims are so vulnerable," Totten said. "My office, along with our law enforcement partners, commits to protect our kids and bring these offenders to justice."

Authorities began investigating Baker in 2023. A minor reported to police that Baker had sexually assaulted her, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

The report spurred an investigation by the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, which uncovered evidence of the assault, and found that Baker had been conspiring with another adult to produce child pornography of a second victim.

FBI agents followed the leads and identified a third child victim whom Baker had sexually assaulted, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Baker was charged with conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, coercion and enticement of a child, and the separate crime of committing both offenses, and required to register as a sex offender.

In December of 2023, a jury convicted Baker of all three offenses after a two-day trial, the U.S. Attorney's Office said

"The exploitation and coercion revealed in this case was extremely disheartening," said Cheyvoryea Gibson, special agent in charge of the FBI in Michigan. "It is our mission to protect our youth by aggressively investigating individuals like these defendants, and we will continue this important work every day."

jaimery@detroitnews.com