A Palm Beach Gardens lawyer has been hit with a four-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to possessing a trove of child pornography. Michael Thomas Dolce, 54, an attorney, downloaded illicit material, including images of prepubescent children, to his laptop, a judge ruled on Monday.
U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks handed down the sentence, which also includes 15 years of supervised release for Dolce, after forensic evidence confirmed that the lawyer was actively downloading the illegal files when law enforcement showed up with a search warrant at his West Palm Beach apartment.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida said, “The prosecutors in our office, alongside our FBI partners, are committed to safeguarding all children from child predators” He emphasized Dolce's role as an attorney, stating, “As an attorney and Southern District resident, Michael Dolce had a duty to protect children from the very crimes for which he pleaded guilty to committing. Yesterday, Dolce was sentenced to prison for casting aside his oath and victimizing the most vulnerable people in society—our children. We encourage anyone with information regarding the sexual exploitation of children to immediately contact the FBI.”
FBI Miami's Special Agent in Charge, Jeffrey B. Veltri, condemned Dolce's actions, “There is nothing more despicable than those who carry out crimes against the most innocent among us—our children. That is why our agents, analysts, and task force officers work tirelessly to bring to justice those individuals responsible for such heinous crimes.” Veltri said, that in the process of protecting our youth, nearly 2,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse material were discovered on Dolce's laptop.
The case against Dolce was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice launched in 2006 to address the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For further details, the Department of Justice's website and the Southern District of Florida's court documents can be viewed online for case number 23-cr-80063.
