A 60-year-old Shelton man who possessed child pornography and surreptitiously recorded children using his bathroom will go to prison for five years.
On Friday (June 8), U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill sentenced Michael Hull, 61, to serve 60 months behind bars.
Hull had pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography Jan. 30.
According to a prepared statement from U.S. Attorney John H. Durham, a Homeland Security Investigations operation revealed Hull “was accessing the dark web to search for, view and download child pornography.”
Shelton cops and the feds searched Hull’s house May 31, 2017, seizing “approximately 16 electronic devices, including computers and external hard drives.”
“A forensic examination of the seized devices revealed approximately 13 images and 126 videos of child pornography, including images and videos depicting children younger than 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct,” Durham said.
“The investigation also revealed that Hull had a video camera installed in his bathroom, which captured images of individuals, including children, who used his bathroom,” Durham said.
Hull has been behind bars since last May.
As part of the sentence, pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, Judge Underhill ordered Hull to pay a special assessment of $5,000, which is used to fund victim services.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Shelton Police Department and the Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacabed Rodriguez-Coss.
The prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com
