DETROIT – The federal government filed a criminal complaint Tuesday against a Dearborn Heights man who is accused of receiving and distributing child pornography online.
The complaint, led by a special agent with the Department of Homeland Security Investigations in Detroit, claims that Dean William Paul, 47, used the Kik Messenger app to share and receive child pornography. The agent identified Paul as a user on the messenger app after subpoenaing information related to the user’s IP address.
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The complaint says Paul was communicating in a group chat that was not necessarily focused on child pornography, but members are said to frequently discuss their sexual interest in children. A user identified now as Paul indicated that he is sexually active with his 7-year-old daughter and was sexually active with a 14-year-old when he was 25-years-old, the complaint reads.
Paul is accused of posting pornographic images and videos of minor girls estimated to be as young as 8-years-old in the Kik Messenger app.
Paul is also accused of knowingly transferring obscene materials to minors under the age of 16. The complaint states that multiple explicit videos were found on Paul’s iPad when it was seized during a forensic examination.
According to the complaint, the videos show a man requesting to join live videos with minor girls on Instagram using an account that is associated with Paul’s iPhone. When the girls -- estimated to be under the age of 16 -- accept the request in the videos, a man appears on the screen masturbating. Though his face is not visible in the videos, authorities allege the man is Paul.
Paul was charged with possession of child porn, receipt and distribution of child porn and use of mail or interstate commerce to knowingly transfer obscene material to a person under the age of 16 or attempts to do so.
The full complaint can be viewed below.
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