Kalamazoo man sentenced to prison for sexually exploiting teen girl he met on Facebook

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A Kalamazoo man was sentenced to 35 years in prison for sexually exploiting, coercing, and enticing a 14-year-old girl he met on , U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey announced Thursday.

Samuel Kuhl, 33, had an "illegal sexual relationship" with the teen for 18 months after contacting her on the social media platform, according to VerHey, who said he physically, emotionally, and psychologically abused her during that time.

Additionally, Kuhl threatened the girl and her family with a gun after she refused his repeated attempts to force her into "group sexual activity," VerHey said. He also convinced her to give him child pornography.

When the 33-year-old was being sentenced, U.S. District Judge Beckering noted that Kuhl’s conduct reflects a “pattern of angry, defiant, vindictive behavior” and an overall “disregard for the rule of law," according to VerHey.

"Sam Kuhl devoted his adult life to crime, and part of his criminal lifestyle included tracking down adolescent girls to sexually exploit," VerHey said. "My office will never tolerate child exploitation and when it happens, we will bring the people involved to justice. Kuhl earned the sentence he received yesterday.”

The FBI and the Wyoming Police Department also investigated this case, which was a part of Project Safe Childhood .