Michael Brandon Kiper, 29, is in the custody of the Navy following his arrest for producing child pornography.
LEMOORE, Calif. (KFSN) -- An arrest has been made in a child pornography case with ties to Lemoore Naval Air Station. But it took authorities hundreds of miles from the South Valley to make it happen.
Michael Brandon Kiper, 29, is in the custody of the Navy following his arrest for producing child pornography.
The sailor was stationed in Lemoore for a little more than a year before he was arrested and charged with child pornography.
Federal investigators and the United States Navy remain tight-lipped on the arrest of Michael Brandon Kiper. But a criminal complaint filed with the United States district court reveals a five month-long investigation with four underage victims since 2012.
Police in Pennsylvania first got wind of the crimes back in January after a 14-year-old girl reported her contact with a man online known as "James White."
It turned out to Kiper, who investigators say had the girl send him sexually explicit photos through an online messaging site, and then threatened to publish them if she didn't send him more. The girl told her mom who told police.
Investigators detail that Kiper lured the girls into thinking they could become models.
The complaint states victim one telling Kiper she wanted to "Wait till June and I turn 15" to start "modeling."
To which he replies "Why wait when you can do it now? You're lucky I still have an open spot."
Once the Naval Criminal Investigative Service or NCIS got involved, they discovered three more victims, all younger than 16 years old. NCIS believe Michael Kiper was sending and receiving sexually explicit photos and videos with the minors.
On May 1st of this year investigators served a search warrant at Kiper's apartment on the base in Lemoore, and shortly afterwards he all but disappeared. His military status was changed to "unauthorized absence" and is now facing charges for being a deserter of the United States Navy.
Kiper was eventually caught up with in Oklahoma where he was arrested and brought back to California.
Investigators say they found more than 50 child pornography videos and photos on his electronic devices.
Michael Kiper is expected to be brought up to Fresno to face the federal child pornography charges against him, he'll also face a Navy court for his desertion charges.