GAINESVILLE, GA. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Georgia, Northern), published as received.

GAINESVILLE, Ga. - Michael Lewis Bush has been arraigned on federal charges of producing, receiving, and possessing child pornography.  The defendant had thousands of images of children, including some he allegedly took himself.   

"This defendant allegedly produced and collected images portraying the sexual exploitation and abuse of young children,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “It is essential that we target and remove from the community those individuals who pose such a great threat to our district.”

“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 ICE Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Nick Annan. "This case shows HSI is actively working to identity and disrupt the trade of these illegal images, and also to identify and seek prosecution of the criminals who produce and possess them.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: Federal agents determined that Michael Bush purchased child pornography online on multiple occasions between 2015 and 2018. Those 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 eleven-year-old child and saved them to his computer where he retained them for years.

Michael Lewis Bush, 49, of Talking Rock, Georgia, was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Clay Fuller.  Bush was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 14, 2018.  Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges.  The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.This case is being investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, is prosecuting the case.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.