FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2009
WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/MA
CONTACT: CHRISTINA DiIORIO-STERLING
PHONE: (617)748-3356
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DEPORTATION OFFICER SENTENCED ON CHARGE OF PRODUCING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
BOSTON – A former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deportation Officer was sentenced today after pleading guilty 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, was sentenced today 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. CLIFFORD plead guilty in June 2009.
The Honorable William G. Young sentenced CLIFFORD to 15 years in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release. Judge Young also ordered CLIFFORD to pay $27,378 in restitution to the victim for counseling purposes. 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 where CLIFFORD was on official duty. CLIFFORD picked up the child at an outside café late at night, returned 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.
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 Loucks’ Public Corruption Unit.
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