Derby Man Pleads Guilty To Child Exploitation Offense: Feds

DERBY, CT — A Derby man pled guilty Tuesday to a child exploitation offense and admitted he violated the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery announced in a news release.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Michael Szwarc, 36, of Derby, was convicted in 2013 in state court of second-degree possession of child pornography, and in 2022 in federal court of receipt of child pornography.

In January while Szwarc was on federal supervised release, his federal probation officer conducted an unannounced visit to his home and discovered Szwarc in possession of an unauthorized laptop, Avery said.

The probation officer seized the laptop, a forensic examination of which revealed multiple images of child pornography, Avery said.

According to Avery, the investigation revealed Szwarc used the dark web to access websites used to traffic and distribute child pornography.

Szwarc pleaded guilty to and accessing with intent to view child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years and a maximum prison term of 20 years.

Avery noted the penalties in this matter are enhanced because of Szwarc's prior federal and state convictions for possessing child pornography.

Szwarc has been detained since his arrest on Feb. 9. A sentencing date has not been scheduled, Avery said.