By Caleb Groves

On Tuesday, July 25, 2023, a judge found probable cause for an Acworth man to be charged with sexually exploiting children during a hearing at the Cobb County Magistrate Court after an electronic search warrant was executed on the man’s computer.

[The Cobb County Courier has a policy of withholding or redacting the name of suspects unless and until the person is convicted in a court of law or enters a plea of guilty. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty, and the internet has no effective way of removing reports of arrest if the person is exonerated. We do make exceptions in high-profile cases or charges against public officials where exoneration is likely to be as widely publicized as the initial arrest]

Police executed the search warrant on his computer in September 2022, and the Cobb County Police Department found over 140 pictures of prepubescent girls uploaded on a Google drive from his Acworth address.

However, none of the victims have been identified, Detective Michael Ferruccio of the CCPD said.

Ferruccio is also a member of the state’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC).

The CCPD took the defendant into custody on June 28, 2023. The Google Drive was found to be owned by someone with the same name and birthday as the defendant.

Ferruccio and an Acworth woman, the man’s partner, testified during the probable cause hearing in the courtroom of Judge Michael McLaughlin.

The search of the Acworth man’s residence also uncovered multiple expired passports from countries like Peru and Venezuela, where he holds citizenship. Presently, the man possesses a valid work permit and visa for the United States. He resides with his partner, with whom he is preparing to launch an online business.

The woman testified that she had no knowledge of the Google Drive or any alleged child sexual exploitation involving the man.

The defendant is also being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security for allegations of fraud.

Detective Michael Ferruccio’s Testimony

Ferruccio listed what they found at the man’s residence, including expired passports from multiple countries, such as Peru and Venezuela. They also found another hard drive.

The CCPD continues to investigate other electronic devices for any potential evidence related to child sexual exploitation. As of now, there is no indication of image distribution, and the man has no previous criminal history.

Judge McLaughlin’s Decision

McLaughlin believed there to be probable cause and set bond at $75,000 along with conditions for the suspect; the Acworth woman said she would be responsible for paying for the bond.

Those conditions include a curfew between 8 pm and 6 am, an ankle monitor, no contact with anyone under the age of 16 and no computer access unless there is supervision and it is being utilized for work purposes.

The case will be presented to a grand jury in late August, according to the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office.