FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2009
WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/MA
CONTACT: CHRISTINA DiIORIO-STERLING
PHONE: (617)748-3356
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DEPORTATION OFFICER PLEADS GUILTY TO CHARGE OF PRODUCING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
BOSTON – A former ICE Deportation Officer pled guilty today to an Indictment charging him with sexually exploiting a minor child.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael K. Loucks, Gregory K. Null, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General and Steve J. Mocsary, Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Office of Professional Responsibility in New England announced that MICHAEL CLIFFORD, 44, of Hull, MA, pled guilty to an Indictment charging him with one count of inducing and enticing a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct and transporting the images into the United States.
At the change of plea hearing today before the Honorable William G. Young, the Government alleged that CLIFFORD, a deportation officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, enticed an eleven year old child to engage in sexually explicit conduct with him in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil while CLIFFORD was there on official duty. CLIFFORD had picked up the child at an outside café late at night, went back to the hotel, had sex with the child and took pictures of the child involved in sexual acts. Security camera footage from the hotel showed CLIFFORD entering the hotel with the child late at night, and sending the child out of the hotel the following morning. Subsequently, CLIFFORD returned to the United States with the sexually explicit pictures.
CLIFFORD faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine and a term of supervised release of between at least 5 years to life. Sentencing has been scheduled for September 21, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.
The case was investigated by Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General and Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Office of Professional Responsibility in New England. Significant cooperation and assistance was provided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Office of International Affairs, Attaché Brazil; the Hull Police Department; Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro; Secretary of State Security, Rio de Janeiro; Chief of Civil Police, Rio de Janeiro and Precinct of Child and Adolescent Protection, Rio de Janeiro. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brian T. Kelly of the Public Corruption Unit.
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