Grant County man gets 22 years in federal prison for child porn charges

A 49-year-old Grant County man was sentenced Wednesday to 22 years in federal prison for production and attempted production of child pornography.

Michael G. Rice, of Soap Lake, pleaded guilty in July to the charges before U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced the Soap Lake man, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office – Eastern District of Washington news release.

Judge Rice also ordered the defendant to pay $48,000 in restitution to the victim, and he will be under federal supervision for 10 years when he is released from custody.

According to court documents and proceedings, Michael Rice was apprehended after an 11-year-old girl disclosed that the Soap Lake man directed her to record herself on a phone engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The recorded footage was later found in his iCloud account, the release said.

Michael Rice was also convicted by a jury in Grant County on first-degree dealing in and possession of child pornography, according to the release. Sentencing is pending in that case.

Michael Rice was previously convicted of first-degree rape of a child in 2002, for which he received a suspended sentence. The victim in that case was also 11.

“Protecting our children is a top priority of my office,” U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref said in the release. “Mr. Rice repeatedly engaged in harmful conduct taking advantage of our youth in the Eastern District of Washington. With our strong partnership with state and local law enforcement and prosecutors, we were able to successfully remove Mr. Rice from the streets and prevent him from further victimizing the most vulnerable among us.”