GAINESVILLE, Ga. - Michael Bush has been sentenced on federal charges of producing, receiving, and possessing child pornography. During the search of his home, agents discovered images that Bush had taken, even images of an eleven-year-old child.
“Bush created and collected images showing the exploitation and sexual abuse of minor children," said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay" Pak. “His disgusting passion for these types of images further exploits the children in the photographs. We will continue to identify and remove those individuals who pose a threat to our children."
“Individuals who produce child pornography steal the innocence of children and re-victimize them each time the evidence of their exploitation is shared online," said Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta Acting Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard. "This case clearly demonstrates HSI aggressively works to disrupt the trade of these illegal images, seeking to prosecute those criminals who produce and possess them to the fullest extent of the law."
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: Federal agents determined that Bush purchased child pornography online on multiple occasions between 2015 and 2018. Agents executed a search warrant at Bush's home in August 2018 and found multiple digital devices containing thousands of images and videos of child pornography. They also discovered that Bush took a series of pornographic photographs of an eleven-year-old child and saved them to his computer where he retained them for years.
Michael Bush, 49, of Talking Rock, Georgia, was sentenced before U.S. District Court Judge Steve C. Jones, to 15 years imprisonment, followed by a 10 years of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay restitution to victims of his offenses.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, prosecuted the case.
This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
