BANGOR, Maine — A Westbrook man was sentenced on June 11 in U.S. District Court in Bangor for possessing child sexual abuse material after Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) found he received it through the Telegram app.
Michael Peterson, 39, was sentenced to 150 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release.
According to court records, between December 2021 and August 2022, Peterson received and attempted to receive child sexual abuse material using the Telegram app. Peterson received the images from an individual using Telegram and paid the same person in hopes of obtaining additional images.
HSI New England’s Bangor Resident Agent in Charge office and the Maine State Police investigated the case.
HSI is a global leader in the fight against child exploitation. Last year, HSI special agents dedicated 1.2 million case hours toward investigating child exploitation. This heinous crime harms the most vulnerable in our society: our kids. As technology evolves and more people have access to the internet, children are at a greater risk than ever. HSI’s special agents and analysts around the world are dedicated to countering this threat.
Report suspected child exploitation to the HSI tip line at 877-4-HSI-TIP or through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's website.
About HSI
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce consists of over 10,000 employees, assigned to 235 offices within the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI's international presence represents the Department of Homeland Security’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.