Former Avon man gets prison on child exploitation charge
A former Avon man was sentenced to nine years in prison for a child exploitation offense, according to federal officials.
Michael Ferro, 36, also was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to nine years of supervised release, according to federal officials.
Ferro, using the Kik social media application, began chatting in 2021 in a Kik group with an “FBI Online Covert Employee” who was posing as a father of a 12-year-old girl, according to federal officials.
After Ferro learned the false information OCE was providing about sexual activity, Ferro sent the OCE a photo depicting the genitals of a child, federal officials said in a statement. “Ferro then stated that he had more pictures to share, and expressed an interest in meeting the OCE’s daughter to engage in sexual activity.”
Investigators confirmed Ferro’s identity, then traveled to Ferro’s Avon residence, informed him of the investigation, and seized his cellphone, the statement said.
Ferro was arrested on a criminal complaint on Sept. 29, 2021. He pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography on March 1, 2022.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Avon Police Department. The prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, “which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation,” the statement said. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc. To report cases of child exploitation, visit www.cybertipline.com
