GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — A man who was previously set free on a technicality after a 2015 child sex assault conviction will now spend the rest of his life behind bars following a new federal conviction.
On March 6, a federal judge sentenced 51-year-old Michael Tracy McFadden. He was convicted on Nov. 14, 2022 of crossing state lines with intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor under the age of 12, and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity.
According to facts presented at trial, McFadden was a long-haul truck driver who took at least two children on multiple trips out of state. Over a span of at least six years, McFadden repeatedly sexually assaulted the children, both in his home in Grand Junction and in his semi truck in other states. Two of his victims testified at his trial.
A Grand Junction jury previously convicted McFadden on 19 counts of sexual assault on a child in 2015 in state court related to six different victims. He was sentenced to 324 years to life.
He appealed his convictions and ultimately prevailed due to a speedy trial violation, which meant he could not be re-tried in state court. He was set free in 2018, however, he was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2019, and rearrested on federal charges.
"As U.S. Attorney, my office is committed to ensuring that those who prey on innocent children are held accountable for their heinous crimes. Today's sentencing of Michael McFadden is a testament to our unwavering dedication to justice for victims of child sexual abuse,” said United States Attorney Cole Finegan.
“Of course, no punishment will make the victims and their families whole or give them back what the defendant stole from them. But a sentence that ensures the defendant will never be free in any community ever again will at least send the right message—that perpetrators of this kind of horrendous, unforgivable crime will die in prison.”
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