South Florida attorney who fought against sexual abuse caught with child porn, feds say
A West Palm Beach licensed attorney known for fighting against sexual abuse has been arrested after FBI agents say they caught him actively downloading child pornography to his laptop.
Michael Thomas Dolce, 53, who prosecutors say amassed over 2,000 child porn photos and videos to his electronic devices, was ordered to remain in jail Thursday during his initial appearance in a West Palm Beach federal courtroom.
According to court documents, FBI agents executing a search warrant on March 15 knocked on the door of Dolce’s West Palm Beach apartment, identified themselves and ordered him to come out. But when he didn’t respond, investigators say, agents forcefully breached the door.
Once inside the apartment, agents say they discovered that Dolce was actively downloading child porn to his Samsung laptop. Agents say they also found 1,997 photos and five videos depicting child porn, including several dozen photos of prepubescent girls as young as 5 in “varying states of undress.”
Leonard Scott Feuer, Dolce’s attorney, didn’t immediately respond to the Miami Herald’s emailed request for comment.
Dolce was a partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, PLLC in Palm Beach Gardens, where he led the law firm’s Sexual Abuse, Sex Trafficking, and Domestic Violence team, according to now-deleted entries in the company’s website. The Florida Bar’s website shows he graduated from Stetson University College of Law in 1994.
“The firm is stunned and saddened by these appalling allegations,” a spokesperson of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll told the Herald. “Michael Dolce was terminated and is no longer affiliated with the firm. We are focused on attending to the needs of our clients and staff, and continuing to cooperate fully with the investigation.”
Dolce’s first formal appearance in court on the charges is set for April 13.
