A Groton man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing and possessing child sexual abuse material. Michael W. Landon, 39, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport, with an additional 15 years of supervised release.
According to information presented in court, the FBI began investigating Landon in March 2023 after discovering he was distributing child pornography on Wickr, a secure messaging service known for its end-to-end encryption. Investigators found that Landon was sharing videos in a chat room focused on spy cameras and voyeurism. The videos depicted surreptitious recordings of a minor girl in private settings.
On April 4, 2023, authorities seized Landon's iPhone. Forensic analysis uncovered a video showing Landon sexually assaulting a minor boy, along with other images and videos of child sexual abuse. The phone also contained messages sent via Telegram that included links to collections labeled as child pornography and forced teen sex.
Landon has been held since his arrest on state charges related to these offenses on June 28, 2023. He pleaded guilty in federal court on April 8, 2025, to one count each of production of child pornography and possession and access with intent to view child pornography. State charges remain pending.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Town of Groton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean P. Mahard and Nancy V. Gifford prosecuted the case through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which works to protect children from sexual exploitation (https://www.justice.gov/psc).
"U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked the New London State Attorney’s Office for its cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this case."
Individuals can report cases of child exploitation at https://www.cybertipline.com.
