A 33-year-old man from Longmont was taken into custody for alleged crimes tied to the sexual exploitation of a child. Michael Anthony REYES, who turned himself in at the Boulder Jail on August 1, is facing 20 counts of distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) featuring a child under 12. An FBI undercover operation initially detected the distribution of CSAM from within the Boulder County area, which prompted further investigation that led to REYES' identification as a suspect, as reported by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, worked to swiftly and thoroughly investigate the case. A search warrant was executed for REYES’ residence on September 3, 2024, resulting in the seizure of several electronic devices, which were then analyzed by experts at the Rocky Mountain Regional Computer Forensic Lab. The processing of evidence was enough to definitively link REYES to the crime, setting in motion the legal mechanism to soon issue an arrest warrant for his detainment.
Following the posting of a $20,000 secured bond, REYES was released from jail on August 4 with stringent conditions that include a ban on contact with anyone under 18 and no access to social media or cloud storage services. The legal process is unfolding as agencies such as the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab, multiple FBI field offices, and local police departments all have combined their efforts in tracing and apprehending individuals involved in distributing and consuming CSAM, particularly in Boulder County, as reported by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.
