Max Mota Pinho, Child Exploitation, Connecticut 2024

A disturbing case of child exploitation has come to light in Stamford, Connecticut, with the arrest of 45-year-old Brazilian national Max Mota Pinho.

As alleged in court documents, a cloud-based storage company that provides services for wireless customers made multiple CyberTipline reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (“NCMEC”) that a user, subsequently identified as Pinho, had videos and images of child sexual abuse stored on the account.

Subsequent investigation confirmed that child sex abuse material was stored on Pinho’s account.

Pinho was arrested yesterday at his Stamford residence.

He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti in Bridgeport and was released on a $50,000 bond.

Pinho, who overstayed a tourist visa issued in 2003, was then taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.

Possession of child pornography carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Stamford Police Department, the Watertown Police Department, and the Westport Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Gordon.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. government’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

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