Vanessa Roberts Avery, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Michael Szwarc, 36, from Derby, has been sentenced to 134 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford delivered the sentence for a child exploitation offense and for violating supervised release conditions from a previous federal conviction.

Court documents reveal that Szwarc was convicted in 2013 in state court for possession of child pornography and again in 2022 in federal court for receipt of child pornography. In January 2024, while on federal supervised release, Szwarc's probation officer conducted an unannounced visit to his home and found an unauthorized laptop. A forensic examination uncovered multiple images of child pornography on the device. The investigation also revealed Szwarc accessed websites on the dark web used to traffic and distribute child sexual abuse materials.

On August 13, 2024, Szwarc pleaded guilty to accessing with intent to view child pornography. Judge Thompson sentenced him to 120 months for this offense and an additional consecutive 14 months for violating supervised release conditions.

The penalties were enhanced due to Szwarc’s prior convictions related to child pornography possession.

Szwarc has been detained since his arrest on February 9, 2024.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel E. Cummings prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, visit www.cybertipline.com.