District Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison For Possession of Child Pornography

            WASHINGTON – Michael Centanni, 49, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 46 months in prison for possession of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen, Jr. and Clark E. Settles, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Washington, D.C.

            Centanni pled guilty in January 2015, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced on July 20, 2015, by the Honorable Senior Judge Thomas F. Hogan. Upon completion of his prison term, Centanni will be placed on 10 years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for a minimum of 15 years.

            Centanni was arrested on Oct. 30, 2014 following an investigation by HSI. According to a statement of offense signed by the defendant as well as the government, the investigation determined that Centanni had been using the Internet to obtain child pornography files.

            Law enforcement searched Centanni’s residence on Oct. 14, 2014 and seized hard drives and other electronic media. A subsequent examination identified more than 3,000 images and 267 videos depicting child pornography. Centanni has been in custody since his arrest. In an interview with law enforcement, he admitted obtaining images and videos depicting child pornography and storing it on the electronic devices seized during the search.

                In announcing the sentence, Acting U.S. Attorney Cohen and Special Agent in Charge Settles commended the work of the HSI Special Agents who investigated the case and expressed appreciation for the assistance of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cassidy Kesler Pinegar and Andrea L. Hertzfeld, who prosecuted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord, who assisted in the investigation.