A federal grand jury has indicted a Brentwood man for allegedly receiving child pornography, federal authorities said Friday.
Michael Patterson was arrested Thursday.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, in late May 2023, Patterson allegedly had an online conversation with an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old girl and ultimately planned to meet and engage in sexual conduct.
The Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (SV-ICAC) conducted an operation to identify and arrest adults involved in sexual conversations with undercover chatters posing as minors online.
Officers arrested Patterson when he arrived at the designated location. Officers allegedly found the phone that Patterson used to communicate with the undercover officer and next to the phone, officers allegedly found a loaded .38 caliber revolver.
Agents reportedly found more than 600 videos and 1,200 individual images showing child sexual abuse material on several of Patterson’s electronic devices, as well as dozens of firearms, firearm parts, boxes of ammunition, and firearm manufacturing machinery and parts, including a computer-controlled weapon milling machine. machine.
Three of the firearms were reportedly unregistered short-barreled rifles and one was an unregistered fully automatic machine gun.
Patterson is charged with receiving child pornography and possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle.
Patterson is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam Jr. on June 26 in Oakland.
If convicted, Patterson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, plus possible restitution.
