Former Griswold man pleads guilty to child porn charge

A former Griswold man pleaded guilty Tuesday in New Haven federal court to one child pornography charge.

Adam Lee Petrowski, 26, who had been living with family in Canterbury since his November 2010 arrest, pleaded guilty to one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Petrowski used a peer-to-peer Internet file sharing program to receive and distribute images of child pornography. In January 2010, agents with the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force conducted a court-authorized search of Petrowski's Griswold residence and seized a desktop computer and an external hard drive. Forensic analysis of the seized items revealed more than 2,300 image files and 24 video files of child pornography. Included in his collection of child pornography were images of children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct and images of children engaging in sadistic or masochistic conduct.

Petrowski was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on November 5, 2010. He was released on a $100,000 bond and has been residing in Canterbury since his arrest.

Petrowski is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Janet Bond Arterton on November 20, at which time Petrowski faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years, a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and a fine of up to $250,000.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Secret Service and the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force, which includes federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarala V. Nagala.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood Initiative, and the District of Connecticut's "Operation Constant Vigilance," which are aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

The Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force, which is housed at the main FBI office in New Haven, investigates crimes occurring over the Internet, including on-line crimes against children, and provides computer forensic review services for participating agencies. For more information about the Task Force, or to report child exploitation crimes, please contact the FBI at 203-777-6311.