CT man pleads guilty to producing child pornography
A Guilford man pleaded guilty to a federal charge of producing child pornography on Thursday following his arrest on child molestation, solicitation and enticement charges in Rhode Island in 2019, federal officials said.
Chistopher Michaelson, 38, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford on Thursday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Michaelson was arrested at his Guilford home by the Burrillville (R.I.) Police Department with the assistance of the Guilford Police Department on Jan. 9, 2019, and charged with child molestation, solicitation and enticement state charges out of Rhode Island, according to court records. Officers seized Michaelson’s cellphone during the arrest, court records showed.
During a court-authorized search of the phone, officials found hundreds of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, court records said. It also revealed communications between Michaelson and the underage victims, where he directed them to send him sexually explicit photographs of themselves.
The federal charge carries a mandatory minimum term of 15 years in prison and a maximum term of 30 years.
Michaelson has been detained since his 2019 arrest. His sentencing is scheduled for June 2. The Rhode Island state charges against Michaelson are pending, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.