A Pickens County man will spend the next 15 years in federal prison for producing, receiving and possessing child pornography.
Michael Bush, 59, of Talking Rock was sentenced this week in federal court in Gainesville.
"Bush created and collected images showing the exploitation and sexual abuse of minor children," said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak in a Friday afternoon press release. "His disgusting passion for these types of images further exploits the children in the photographs. We will continue to identify and remove those individuals who pose a threat to our children."
Evidence presented in court said along with other evidence agents discovered images that Bush had taken of an 11-year-old child.
"Individuals who produce child pornography steal the innocence of children and re-victimize them each time the evidence of their exploitation is shared online," said Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta Acting Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard.
Bush apparently purchased child pornography online on multiple occasions between 2015 and 2018. Agents executed a search warrant at Bush's home in August 2018 and found multiple digital devices containing thousands of images and videos of child pornography. They also discovered that Bush took a series of pornographic photographs of an 11-year-old child and saved them to his computer where he retained them for years.
In addition to the prison sentence, Bush will be on 10-years of supervised release when he leaves prison. He also was ordered to pay restitution to victims of his offenses.
