HARTFORD, Conn. – A Connecticut man arrested by local police in 2019 over sexual assault of a Burrillville boy was indicted this week by a federal grand jury in Hartford.
Christopher Michaelson, 37, of Guilford, Conn. appeared on Monday, Nov. 15 via videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti, and pleaded not guilty to the charge of receipt of child pornography.
Michaelson was arrested by Burrillville police in January of 2019 on charges of first-degree child molestation, second-degree child molestation, enticement of a minor in the first degree and indecent solicitation of a child. The assault allegedly stemmed from an internet contact followed by an in person meeting in Burrillville.
During the arrest, officers reportedly seized Michaelson’s cellphone, and a court-authorized search of the device revealed hundreds of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, primarily boys between the ages of five and 15.
Michaelson has been detained since his arrest.
The case is being prosecuted by Asst. U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Levick and Maria del Pilar Gonzalez as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.
The charge of receipt of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
