According to an arrest warrant, an Ansonia man charged with having child pornography and other crimes paid eight boys to create inappropriate movies, including one in Trumbull and another in the United Kingdom.
Michael Bernaud, 27, is charged with possessing child pornography, two counts of enticing a minor by computer, and two charges of endangering a minor following a lengthy investigation sparked by a tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in March, according to the warrant.
allegedly “would send explicit images and videos of himself, ask the juveniles to film themselves without clothes on and then offer money to them for that content, paying them in many cases through Venmo or PayPal,” according to what the warrant states.
According to Connecticut State Police, Bernaud was charged with one count of endangering a child earlier this year after sending inappropriate messages to a 13-year-old kid via Instagram. Bernaud requested that the child provide a picture of himself shirtless while making provocative movements and asking sexual inquiries, according to authorities.
According to the Ansonia warrant, similar occurrences involving up to eight young boys occurred, including one from Trumbull and another from the United Kingdom, whose video submitted to Bernaud sparked the investigation.
According to the warrant, Bernaud was paying the lads for video content in numerous instances. He visited with the Trumbull teen in person several times with the boy’s mother’s knowledge, who permitted Bernaud to fix her son’s computer, according to the warrant. According to the warrant, police investigated the youngster’s phone, which revealed text threads and images from Bernaud’s Instagram account urging the boy to provide shirtless photos, to which the child agreed.
The Trumbull teen was located by Ansonia police when serving a search warrant at Bernaud’s Ansonia residence to gather his equipment as part of the investigation.
According to the request, police acquired a second search warrant for Bernaud’s Google accounts after discovering that a 12-year-old kid from North Carolina was sending Bernaud films of himself performing sex acts in exchange for cash. According to the warrant, several other victims who were providing Bernaud movies and photographs for money were found using Google accounts.
According to the warrant, Bernaud has worked in a variety of settings that have exposed him to children, including fairs, festivals, bounce houses, amusement parks, and entertainment centers.
Bernaud was released after posting a $250,000 bond in the most recent case and is set to appear in Superior Court in Derby on November 7, according to court records. As a condition of his parole, he must wear electronic monitoring and have no contact with kids while the case is underway, according to court filings.
According to judicial records, Bernaud is free on a $50,000 bond and scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Waterbury on October 15.