Fort Myers, Florida - U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Michael Eugene Read (60) to 10 years in federal prison for possessing and distributing child pornography. He pleaded guilty on July 28, 2015.
According to court documents, on Oct. 27, 2014, an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted an online investigation into individuals who were using peer-to-peer software to share child pornography files. The agent connected with Read’s computer and downloaded four videos depicting child pornography.
On Jan. 30, 2015, agents executed a search warrant at Read’s residence. Subsequent forensic analyses of his external hard drive and computer media revealed a collection of more than 25,000 images depicting child pornography. During an interview with agents, Read admitted to searching for and downloading hundreds of images and videos of child pornography from the Internet over the past several years. He estimated that he had approximately 500 GB of child pornography stored on his hard drive.
“Every investigation against a child predator is disturbing, but this case involved one of the largest amounts of child pornography we have seen in the Fort Myers region, making it an especially important investigation," said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
