INKSTER MAN SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS FOR MANUFACTURING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

An Inkster man who used a Polaroid camera to photograph himself molesting sleeping 9-12-year-old girls over a two-year period was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for manufacturing child pornography in federal court, Acting United States Attorney Terrence Berg announced today. Berg was joined in the announcement by Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent-In-Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Detroit field office.

Stephen Lee Bowers, 48, was convicted on June 19, 2008 following a three-day jury trial before Judge Gerald E. Rosen. FBI agents testified that Bowers took the photographs between October 30, 1998 and December 23, 2000 at the Bay Side Estates trailer park in Sebewaing, Michigan. According to a written statement signed by Bowers, the defendant photographed himself with at least four different girls between the ages of 9 and 12 who he babysat for and who slept at his home while visiting Bowers’ daughter, who was the same age. Exhibits introduced at trial also included photographs taken by Bowers of a female baby and of a girl as young as four.

Bowers compiled the Polaroid photographs in an album that also included several dozen nude self-photographs and which, according to his statement, Bowers showed to “lots of people.” According to trial testimony, the album was found seven years later in April 2007 by an acquaintance of Bowers’ roommate, who then reported it to the FBI.

Acting United States Attorney Berg stated, “Today's sentence imposes the stringent kind of penalty that is necessary to deter others from the pernicious child porn trade. Our Child Safe Initiative will aggressively pursue all of those who exploit children through child porn or solicitation."

The case was tried by Assistant United States Attorneys Leonid Feller and John

N. O’Brien II.