South Florida attorney pleads guilty to possessing nearly 2,000 images of child pornography
WEST PALM BEACH — A Palm Beach Gardens attorney once known as an outspoken advocate for victims of child sexual abuse pleaded guilty Wednesday to possessing and viewing nearly 2,000 images of child pornography.
Federal agents forcibly entered the West Palm Beach home of Michael T. Dolce in March and found him alone in bed with an open laptop containing images of children between 5 and 11 years old in sexually explicit positions.
Prosecutors said Dolce used a BitTorrent network, which are built for peer-to-peer file sharing, to download pornography anonymously. Authorities have not said what prompted the investigation into Dolce, who must now register as a sex offender.
Dolce arrest: Raid of Palm Beach Gardens lawyer's home found him downloading, viewing child pornography
Federal judge to decide penalty at December hearing
Dolce has spoken publicly about being raped by a neighbor when he was 7. He told U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks on Wednesday that he has undergone extensive treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Dolce's plea was not a product of negotiations between his defense attorney, Leonard Feuer, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Schiller. With no plea agreement, the length of the attorney's prison sentence remains entirely up to Middlebrooks.
He is scheduled to sentence Dolce in December. Dolce faces up to 20 years in prison, followed by at least five years of supervised release, and may be ordered to pay restitution of no less than $3,000 to each person depicted in the pornography.
Palm Beach Gardens attorney long active in crimes against children in Florida
Prior to his arrest, Dolce worked as a partner at the Palm Beach Gardens law firm Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, where he led the firm's Sexual Abuse, Sex Trafficking and Domestic Violence team, according to a now-deleted entry on the firm's website.
"Dolce brings to his work the insight and commitment of a survivor, having himself been the victim of sexual abuse as a young boy at the hands of a sadistic predator," the website said.
In a statement to The Palm Beach Post in March, the firm said it was "stunned and saddened" by the allegations against Dolce. A spokesperson confirmed he was fired as a result and is no longer affiliated with the firm.
He is not eligible to practice law in Florida because of overdue fees, according to Florida Bar spokesperson Jennifer Krell Davis.
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Dolce was acclaimed for helping push Florida to lift its statute of limitations on sex offenses protecting Catholic priests and others from prosecution. He served on the advisory board of Florida's Children First, a nonprofit legal-aid organization devoted to representing children in "at-risk" situations, according to another now-deleted entry on its website.
The website said Dolce founded a political committee called "Protect Our Kids First, Inc.” and served on the governing board of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in West Palm Beach.
Aimee Adler Cooke, a spokesperson with the church, said congregation leaders have instructed Dolce not to attend or participate in church events until further notice. Feuer, Dolce’s attorney, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida lawyer pleads guilty to possessing child porn after raid in West Palm
