A Brentwood man faces a slew of charges after federal agents allegedly caught him with child pornography and illegal firearms, including a short-barreled rifle. Michael Patterson was indicted by a grand jury on charges of receiving child smut and for the possession of a weapon not registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Details in the case reveal a sinister plot: Patterson is accused of trying to arrange a sexual encounter with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl, leading to his arrest by the Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (SV-ICAC). According to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office, officers found a loaded .38 caliber revolver in Patterson's car at the time of his capture, along with over 600 videos and 1,200 images of child pornography across various electronic devices.
The indictment does not spell the end of one's presumption of innocence, as the law requires that defendants be considered innocent until proven otherwise. Still, Patterson's litany of alleged offenses paints a grim picture of predatory behavior and substantial disregard for firearms regulations. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years for the child pornography charges and another 10 for the unregistered short-barreled rifle.
His pre-trial detention was mandated by Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu, effectively keeping Patterson behind bars until his scheduled appearance before U.S. District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr. on June 26. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonah Ross leads the prosecution, with investigators from the Secret Service to local police departments piecing together the extent of Patterson's criminal activities. With a fine that could balloon to $250,000, the stakes are sky-high for the accused as his court day looms.
