ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. – A Rochester Hills man living with his wife and stepson is accused of having child pornography on the same device that he used to store tax documents for his business, federal officials said.
A criminal complaint filed Aug. 31 accuses Jason James Smith, 42, of distribution and possession of child pornography.
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Smith has a previous arrest for second-degree criminal sexual conduct out of Waterford Township in 2004, police said. That case involved a person under 13 years old, according to court records.
WARNING: Some of the details below are disturbing and explicit in nature.
Online investigation
Between May and August, authorities said they downloaded several files containing abusive child sex material from a known IP address in Rochester Hills.
On June 9, Homeland Security investigators in Grand Rapids were monitoring for people sharing child pornography when they came across a file that had been partially downloaded to that Rochester Hills address, according to the criminal complaint.
Officials said the video involved two girls, ages 12-14 and 6-8. The girls were nude and performed sexual acts on each other during the video, court records show.
The IP address associated with the video download was matched to Smith’s home in Rochester Hills, according to authorities.
Search warrant
Agents executed a search warrant at Smith’s house on Aug. 31, they said. During the search, several electronic devices were found in the basement, officials said.
Authorities said they reviewed the electronic devices and found “numerous” files that meet the definition of child pornography. Two videos contained footage of young girls involved in sex acts, court records show.
Smith’s wife and stepson told police that the devices in the basement belonged to Smith and weren’t used by anyone else, according to the criminal complaint.
The hard drives that contained the child pornography also had tax return information on W-2s and 1099s for a business that Smith owned and operated, officials said.
Agents said Smith was home at the time of the search.
Charges
The complaint concludes there’s probable cause that Smith possessed and distributed child pornography and other related materials.
He is also subjected to enhanced penalties due to prior convictions, authorities said.
