BOISE – Michael Joseph Ireland, 25, of Caldwell, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Boise to possession of sexually explicit images of minors, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

According to the plea agreement, members of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received information that Ireland had used peer-to-peer file sharing software on his computer to access child pornography on three occasions in May 2011. A search warrant was executed at his home and resulted in the seizure of computers and computer storage media that contained more than 600 sexually explicit images and videos of minors, including prepubescent minors.

The charge carries a maximum punishment of up to 10 years in prison, a fine up to $250,000, and a minimum of five years to lifetime supervised release.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 1, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Boise.

The case was investigated by officers from the Boise Police Department affiliated with the ICAC Task Force, and assisted by agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).