A judge rejected a Munster man’s plea deal Wednesday for downloading child porn, implying it was too lenient.
Michael Prestamer, 34, had pleaded guilty April 8 to possession of child pornography, a Level 6 felony. He had faced one year in Lake County Community Corrections and 1.5 years on probation, plus registering as a sex offender and was ordered to complete mental health counseling.
Now that the deal is void, his next court date is July 3.
Police accused him in court documents of downloading child pornography — including at his family’s insurance agency where he worked.
Judge Salvador Vasquez asked Deputy Prosecutor Jacquelyn Altpeter why he was getting a break. He was originally charged with Level 5 felonies — one level up.
The difference was a Level 5 felony applied to children depicted under 12, which was clearly the case, the judge said, and court records show.
Her supervisor, Barbara McConnell approved the deal, Altpeter said. It was Prestamer’s first major court case; he had no other criminal history.
That’s not enough to justify a lower charge, Vasquez later said.
Earlier in the hearing, Altpeter said the FBI had reached out to people they knew were depicted. She hadn’t personally spoken with them, and wasn’t sure if some letters were from victims or their parents.
Vasquez, citing the nearly 10 submitted victim letters, said at least some of the victims were now adults and never escaped the shadow of what happened — partly since they were notified 5-20 times monthly when a picture or video still circulating was flagged online.
Prestamer is represented by lawyer Ray Szarmach.
Court records state multiple videos he uploaded appeared to show young girls “guided” or “coerced” to expose themselves, according to the affidavit.
At least one video showed a child “speaking a foreign language,” while another appeared to show a girl repeatedly asking if she could get dressed.
Google flagged the uploads on Feb. 17, 2023, notifying the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, who passed the tip to Indiana State Police. The uploads were traced to his Google account.
Police pulled Prestamer over in a traffic stop. He appeared “visibly upset” and didn’t understand what he’d done wrong.
