Clawson man who admitted to sexually exploiting a child, possessing child porn sentenced

A 34-year-old man who pleaded guilty in federal court to sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography has been sentenced, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan said Friday.

Timothy Higle, of Clawson, Michigan, was sentenced by a judge Thursday to 40 years in prison, according to the attorney's office. He pleaded guilty to one count of each charge in April. Six other counts of sexual exploitation of a child were dropped as part of a plea agreement, court records said.

According to the agreement, Higle in March 2023 "persuaded, induced, and enticed" two teenagers, ages 14 and 16, to produce sexually explicit images of themselves. He then prompted the teens to send him the images in exchange for payment. The court document went on to say that Higle, between 2012 and 2024, persuaded several other minors to produce sexually explicit images and videos of themselves, which he later received.

The attorney's office, citing court records, said Higle requested the images and videos over Snapchat and used money, drugs and extortion to "get what he wanted from his victims."

Higle is a former substitute teacher, according to the federal agency. Law enforcement allegedly began investigating him after one of the victims reached out to the Michigan State Police in August 2024. Court records show he was indicted on the charges in March 2025.