Riverside County Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child Pornography Via Zoom

PALM SPRINGS (CNS) – A Palm Springs man pleaded guilty in Los Angeles today to a federal criminal charge for streaming sexually explicit videos of children — some of them toddlers — in a Zoom online meeting room for those interested in child exploitation. Michael Andersen, 53, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. An Oct. 24 sentencing hearing was scheduled, at which time Andersen will face a federal prison sentence between five and 20 years, prosecutors noted. According to his plea agreement, in February 2018, Andersen, using the login name "TattdPigPS," and other individuals logged into a Zoom meeting room that law enforcement previously identified as a place for people interested in sexually explicit images and videos of children. Within a 10- minute span, Andersen streamed three sexually explicit videos of children — two involving toddlers. The following month, Andersen again logged into the same Zoom meeting room and again streamed two sexually explicit videos featuring children. Law enforcement recorded both sessions in which Andersen posted child pornography online. In August 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Andersen’s home. Andersen admitted that he believed the agents were at his residence because of his activities in "pedophile or perv Zoom rooms." He also admitted to previously streaming child pornography on Zoom, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A forensic analysis of Andersen’s digital devices, including an iPhone and iPad, revealed 151 images and nine videos of child pornography, prosecutors said. Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc. CNS-06-13-2022 16:25