District man pleads guilty to possession of child pornography

WASHINGTON — A Washington, D.C., resident pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge of possession of child pornography. The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Metropolitan Police Department.

Michael Centanni, 48, is scheduled to be sentenced April 9. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and potential financial penalties. He must also register as a sex offender for a minimum period of 15 years.

Centanni was arrested Oct. 30 following an investigation by HSI. According to a statement of offense signed by the defendant and the government, the investigation determined that Centanni had been using the Internet to obtain child pornography files.

Law enforcement searched Centanni's residence Oct. 14 and seized hard drives and other electronic media. A subsequent examination identified more than 3,000 images and 267 videos depicting child pornography. Centanni has been in custody since his arrest. In an interview with law enforcement, he admitted he obtained images and videos depicting child pornography and stored them on the electronic devices seized during the search.

This investigation was conducted under HSI's Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 12,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.