CUMBERLAND COUNTY — A 39-year-old Chambersburg man is facing numerous child pornography charges after a police investigation led authorities to the discovery of sexually explicit files and video recordings of children using the bathroom and patients in an emergency room in various states of undress.
Michael David Bragg, of the 1500 block of Buttercup Drive, is charged with two counts of disseminating child pornography, 18 counts of possession of child pornography, 10 counts of manufacturing child pornography, one count of criminal use of a communication facility, and one misdemeanor count of indecent assault, according to the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, which investigated the case.
Authorities say the investigation began on Jan. 10, when special agents with the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General opened an online probe to identify residents who were possessing and sharing child pornography on a file-sharing network, according to the criminal complaint.
Agents downloaded two videos from a computer depicting men having sex with young girls.
Investigators tracked information about the IP address associated with the files provided by Comcast Cable Communications that led them to an account holder on the 1500 block of Buttercup Drive.
Last Friday, agents from the Office of the Attorney General and State Police executed a search warrant at the home and spoke to Bragg, who allegedly admitted to using the internet, but denied using it for anything “that would be illegal. “Bragg allegedly indicated he knew how to use file-sharing programs, but said he did not know the last time he had used the file-sharing program eMule, according to investigators.
Bragg also allegedly said there was only one computer in the house, to which the entire family had access. But later, police say, Bragg changed his story and admitted to using eMule to download pornography. He allegedly said it was not his intent to download any child pornography, and claimed he deleted any such files that might appear during his searches.
When investigators asked him how child pornography might have been shared from the computer in his home, Bragg allegedly told them someone in his family might have opened eMule, which would have caused it to re-download the files “from a long time ago.”
Bragg later told agents he would decline further statements without a lawyer, but then he allegedly told them he did not use eMule in January, when the investigation first began.After an agent told Bragg no one in his family had ever used eMule or saw it on the computer, Bragg allegedly said “it doesn’t matter…there’s enough stuff on that computer.”
Bragg then told agents “I’m going to plead guilty,” according to the criminal complaint.
A forensic search of Bragg’s computer and cell phone uncovered 18 child porn files, and “manufactured” child porn videos showing “neighborhood children” using the restroom, according to the criminal complaint. One picture discovered showed Bragg touching a young girl’s genitals, the complaint states.
Agents also discovered videos of patients in what appears to be an emergency department depicted in various states of undress, according to the complaint. Bragg works in the emergency medical field, but court documents did not disclose any further details of his employment, citing a separate ongoing investigation.
