BALTIMORE, Maryland. — A Frederick County man has pleaded guilty to federal charges of coercion and enticement of a minor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced Thursday. Michael Vance Culpepper, 56, of Walkersville, Maryland, pleaded guilty Aug. 21, acknowledging that he attempted to exploit two young victims, including one while he was out on bail.

According to the plea agreement, between April and May 2023, Culpepper used cellphones and online applications to communicate with individuals he believed were 13- and 14-year-old girls, with the intent to entice them into sexual acts. The first victim was actually an undercover police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl. Culpepper exchanged sexually explicit messages and images with the officer, encouraging the alleged minor to delete their conversations to avoid detection. On May 8, 2023, Culpepper drove approximately 50 miles to meet the victim at a restaurant in Hanover, Maryland, where he was promptly arrested.

Despite being released on May 9, 2023, with a condition prohibiting contact with minors, Culpepper continued his predatory behavior. He initiated online contact with a 14-year-old girl, identified in court documents as Jane Doe 1, and engaged in sexually explicit conversations with her. Culpepper sent the girl explicit photos of himself and asked her to send him nude photos. On May 28, 2023, Culpepper picked up Jane Doe 1 from her home, drove her around for an hour, and then stopped at a park. He attempted to entice her with ice, money, a hotel room, and vaping devices to have sexual contact. Although Jane Doe 1 refused, Culpepper continued to pressure her into meeting again for sexual purposes.

Culpepper now faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison, along with lifetime supervised release. Sentences for federal crimes typically carry the maximum penalties, but his sentence will reflect the seriousness of his actions.

The guilty verdict was entered by U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron, joined by Inspector General Teri L. Donaldson of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of the Inspector General (DOE-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Baltimore Field Office; Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Chief of the Maryland State Police (MSP); Paul Joey Kifer, Chief of the Hagerstown Police Department (HPD); and District Attorney Anne Colt Leitess of the Office of the State’s Attorney for Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

Culpepper’s punishment