LOS ANGELES – A Pasadena resident has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for distributing child pornography over a peer-to-peer file-sharing network.

Michael Brian Perry, 38, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II.

Perry pleaded guilty on February 15 to one count of distribution of child pornography. In a plea agreement filed in court, Perry admitted that in October 2014 he “used peer-to-peer software on his computer hard drive to knowingly share with other peer-to-peer users files that defendant knew contained visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.”

When authorities searched Perry's residence in November 2014, they recovered computer equipment that contained at least 697 images of child pornography and at least 457 videos of child pornography, some of which depicted children under the age of 12 being used for sexual acts and some of which portrayed sadistic or masochistic sexual conduct against the minor victims.

Once he completes his prison term, Perry will be on supervised release for 20 years and will be required to register as a sex offender.

The case against Perry was brought as part of Operation “Wide Net,” an investigation conducted by the Los Angeles Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. ICAC includes special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, who work in conjunction with local law enforcement partners, including the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.

The case against Perry was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney

Vanessa Baehr-Jones of the Violent and Organized Crime Section.

Central District of California DOJ / 17-099 / May 09, 2017