A Brazilian citizen residing in Stamford, Max Mota Pinho, was charged with possession of child pornography according to a March 13 announcement by David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England.
The case highlights ongoing efforts to address child exploitation offenses and enforce immigration laws. Authorities allege that Pinho, age 45, had videos and images of child sexual abuse stored on a cloud-based account. The investigation began after a cloud storage provider made multiple CyberTipline reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identifying material linked to Pinho.
Pinho was arrested at his residence in Stamford and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti in Bridgeport. He was released on a $50,000 bond but subsequently taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement due to overstaying a tourist visa issued in 2003.
Possession of child pornography carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Sullivan said, “a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.” The investigation involves HSI as well as police departments from Stamford, Watertown, and Westport. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Gordon is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution falls under the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. More information about this initiative can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
Cases of child exploitation can be reported at www.cybertipline.com.
