Branford Man Charged with Child Pornography Offenses

 Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and William S. Walker, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Boston, announced that MICHAEL HOLM, 42, of Branford, was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging him with distribution, transportation and possession of child pornography and obscene visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

As alleged in court documents, from approximately September 1, 2014 to March 8, 2021, Holm used various websites, mobile applications and online file storage platforms, such as ChatStep, Kik, Discord, Dropbox, Skype, SkyDrive and Gmail, to distribute, transport, and store material depicting the sexual abuse of children.  On March 8, 2021, law enforcement agents conducted a court-authorized search of Holm’s Branford residence and seized his Apple iPhone. A preliminary forensic examination of the iPhone revealed 31 images and videos depicting child pornography. Law enforcement agents also conducted a court-authorized search of Holm’s Dropbox account, where he had uploaded and stored over 100 images and videos of child pornography.

The complaint also alleges that Holm engaged in some of this conduct while he was on federal supervised release for a prior child pornography offense.  In August 2011, Holm was sentenced in federal court to three months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release for possession of child pornography.

Holm appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and was ordered detained.

If convicted of the distribution and transportation charges, Holm faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years. If convicted of the possession charges, Holm faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.  The penalties in this matter are enhanced based on Holm’s prior federal conviction for possession of child pornography.

Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the Branford Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.