David Michael Dakoski, a 62-year-old resident of Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced to ten years in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). This announcement was made by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Chief U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger also ordered that Dakoski serve a lifetime of supervised release and register as a sex offender post-release. Additionally, he is required to pay $88,000 in restitution.
Cardell T. Morant, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in both North Carolina and South Carolina, joined U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making this announcement.
Court records reveal that the case stemmed from a probation violation after Dakoski’s previous conviction. In January 2018, he was convicted in federal court for possession and receipt of child pornography and subsequently sentenced to prison. After his release in November 2022, Dakoski began serving a term of court-ordered supervised release under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office (USPO). An unannounced home visit by USPO officers in April 2024 uncovered an unauthorized cell phone containing sexually explicit images of minors at Dakoski’s residence. This led to the revocation of his supervised release and subsequent custody. He received an additional two-year sentence for violating his prior conviction’s terms.
Further investigation by HSI revealed that Dakoski’s cell phone contained over 8,270 images and six videos depicting CSAM involving toddlers and infants being sexually abused. New federal charges were filed against him, leading to his guilty plea on April 25, 2024, for possession of child pornography involving minors under 12.
Dakoski remains in federal custody awaiting transfer to a designated federal facility under the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson expressed gratitude towards HSI for their investigative work and commended the USPO’s critical role in addressing this repeat offense.
Assistant United States Attorney Daniel Cervantes prosecuted the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide by coordinating resources across federal, state, and local levels to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.
