Branford Man, 42, Arrested By Feds On Child Pornography Charges

BRANFORD, CT — Michael Holm, 42, of Branford was arrested and charged Friday on a federal criminal complaint charging him with having and distributing child pornography and “obscene visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct,” the Acting U.S. Attorney said in a news release.

According to federal prosecutors, from around September 2014 to March 2021, Holm used websites, mobile apps and online file storage platforms, such as ChatStep, Kik, Discord, Dropbox, Skype, SkyDrive and Gmail, to share and store images depicting the sexual abuse of children.

On March 8, law enforcement agents conducted a court-authorized search of Holm’s Branford home and seized his Apple iPhone.

Prosecutors said that a forensic examination of phone found 31 images and videos depicting child pornography. Agents also searched his Dropbox account, where they said he had uploaded and stored over 100 images and videos of child pornography.

The federal complaint also alleges that Holm was storing and sharing chil pron while he was on federal supervised release for a previous 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 Friday before a federal judge and was ordered held.

If convicted of the distribution and transportation charges, meaning sharing the child porn, 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, he faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and maximum of 20 years.

The penalties are enhanced, prosecutors said, based on Holm’s prior federal conviction for possession of child pornography.

The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations 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.