Branford Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Sex Abuse Images

 Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHAEL HOLM, 42, of Branford, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to one count of possession of child pornography.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from approximately September 1, 2014 to March 8, 2021, Holm knowingly possessed child pornography, including on his iPhone and in his online Dropbox account.  He also used various other websites and mobile applications, such as ChatStep, Kik, Discord, Skype, and others, to distribute child pornography to others, sometimes in exchange for other child pornography in return.  A review of Holm’s iPhone and online accounts revealed that, during this time period, he possessed at least 142 unique image files and 118 unique video files of child pornography, including images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers.

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 to three months of imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release for possession of child pornography.

Because of his prior conviction, Holm is a registered sex offender on the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry.

Holm was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on May 24, 2021.  He has been detained since his arrest.

Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for December 2, 2021, at which time 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.

This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) and 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.

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