Child Pornography (CSAM) Arrest
Police in Boise, Idaho, recently arrested a man who they discovered was in possession of child pornography. Upon further investigation it was traced back to a source in Michigan. The Oakland County sheriff’s department was notified that the abusive material appeared to have originated from a computer within their jurisdiction.
An investigation was started by the Computer Crimes Unit, which quickly led to Bruce Howard Fonda, a 63-year-old man from Rochester Hills. Detectives were able to identify the videos as having been sent by Fonda, in part, because of his social media profiles and accounts. Online Fonda referred to himself as “Technoboy53”. Some of his favorite saved videos were of children dancing.
Fonda was arrested on May 7th and arraigned in the Oakland County 52nd District Court for distributing child pornography over the internet. He has been charged with six felonies, including three counts of distributing or promoting child sexually abusive material (CSAM), and three counts of using a computer to commit a crime. Fonda has no previous criminal record.
Under Michigan law distributing or promoting child sexually abusive material is a felony punishable by up to 7 years in prison, or a fine of not more than $50,000.00, or both. In addition, Michigan law states that using a computer to commit a felony, is punishable by up to ten years in prison with possible fines of up to $5,000.00.
At the arraignment, Fonda was given a $50,000, 10% surety bond. In a statement Sheriff Michael Bouchard said, “The constant presence of predators and pedophiles on the Internet is well known. While it’s great to catch these individuals, it’s also an uneasy feeling that there are many others out there that continue to abuse and prey on children. Once again, law enforcement agencies that collaborated well together allowed closure to this case.”