FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Citizen’s Tip Leads to Investigation and Arrest

            WASHINGTON – Michael Terrell Roberson, 31, of Washington, D.C., has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.

            Roberson entered the guilty plea on Sept. 6, 2022, the day his trial was to begin in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. No sentencing date was set. Roberson faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison, followed by up to lifetime supervised release. In addition, he will be required to register as a sex offender.

            According to court documents, in September 2015, Roberson used his personal email account to distribute a video depicting the rape of a prepubescent child. Roberson distributed the video to a man who was previously prosecuted and who lived in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York, in exchange for access to cloud storage accounts containing child pornography. For the next 14 months, they exchanged dozens of emails with log-in information for cloud storage accounts associated with child pornography and discussed their sexual interest in children.

            HSI discovered the online activity in 2019 after receiving a tip from the Norfolk, Virginia, Police Department. The police department had received a report from a citizen who stated that she discovered child pornography on her husband’s cellphone. Subsequent investigation led to the discovery of Roberson’s communications. HSI agents were able to locate and interview Roberson, who admitted to communicating with the other man and sending him child pornography.

            This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Acting Special Agent in Charge Gordon commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Norfolk Police Department. Finally, they commended the work of Trial Attorney Eduardo Palomo, of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Miranda, who prosecuted the case.