This Author is a registered sex offender

An author of sex bondage books was sentenced Thursday to two years in federal prison for sending obscene material to a 17-year-old girl in New York who wanted to be part of his polyamorous family.

Charles Michael Segaloff, 60, of Lawton, pleaded guilty in April to one felony count of sending offensive material to an individual under 18.

During Thursday's sentencing, Segaloff told an Oklahoma City federal judge that he didn't think he was breaking the law but accepts responsibility for his actions.

"This was the stupidest thing I've ever done," Segaloff said. "I believed, at the time, my actions were legal. I was wrong, and I'm sorry."

In a court document filed Monday, Segaloff's attorney, Joseph G. Shannonhouse IV, wrote, "Mr. Segaloff has admitted he sent messages to (the girl) requesting ... she engage in a sexual, polyamorous and BDSM relationship."

BDSM stands for bondage, domination, sadism and masochism. Polyamory is described as being romantically involved with more than one person at the same time.

"While Mr. Segaloff was aware (the girl) had not attained 18 years of age, he was under the mistaken belief that since (the girl) had attained the age of consent, there were no legal impediments to discussing and proposing the relationship," the defense attorney wrote.

The age of consent is 17 in New York and 16 in Oklahoma, court documents show.

"While Mr. Segaloff and (the girl) could apparently carry out the relationship discussed ... it was a crime for Mr. Segaloff to ... discuss such relationship with her by way of an interactive computer service," the defense attorney wrote.

Segaloff was indicted in January after traveling in December to New York to pick up the girl.

He brought her to Lawton to engage in a BDSM sexual relationship with him and his 26-year-old girlfriend, an FBI special agent reported in a court affidavit.

The girl "was aware she would be entering into a polyamorous lifestyle and would be a submissive to Segaloff who would be the dominant," the agent reported. "(The girl) stated that as the submissive, she is to do what she is told, as long as it did not make her feel uncomfortable."

According to the affidavit, the girl and Segaloff began communicating in January 2015 after the girl reached out to Segaloff through Facebook. The agent reported the girl found Segaloff because she was curious about the BDSM lifestyle.

Segaloff has authored multiple books under the pen name Michael Makai, the agent reported.

The cultural presence of and interest in BDSM has increased in recent years. This is, in part, due to the erotic romance novel "Fifty Shades of Grey" that was made into a movie released last ye