LOS ANGELES – A California resident made his initial appearance July 18 in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles after he allegedly arranged to have sex with minors at a fictitious hotel party. His detention hearing has been scheduled for July 22.
Michael Batchelor, 30, of Placer County is charged in a criminal complaint with one count of attempted production of child pornography, one count of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in illegal criminal sexual activity, and one count of distribution and possession of child pornography.
According to the complaint, prior to the encounter, Batchelor allegedly planned for what kind of children he would have sex with and what he would do to them. Batchelor was allegedly looking for minors who were in the age range of “6 to 14” and had “blonde” hair. Batchelor allegedly expressed interest in producing child pornography of the encounter. Batchelor also allegedly provided pictures and videos of child pornography, including children appearing to be younger than 10 years old being molested by adult men.
On July 17, Batchelor allegedly traveled to Los Angeles intending to have sex and produce child pornography with three minor girls, two of whom were under the age of 10, while he was visiting family. Batchelor had allegedly brought $200 to pay for the hotel room where the sexual activity was supposed to occur, along with a recent STD test. Shortly after arriving at a prearranged location near the site of the fictitious hotel party, Batchelor was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles and is currently being detained by law enforcement.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted of all charges, Batchelor faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
HSI Newark and New Jersey State Police assisted with the investigation of this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Catharine A. Richmond and Chris M. Brunwin of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this matter.
Anyone with information regarding the exploitation of children is encouraged to call the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP.
Learn more about HSI’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSILosAngeles.