WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Federal prosecutors accused a 53-year-old South Florida attorney who represents victims of child sexual abuse of possessing child sexual abuse material himself.
According to prosecutors, who announced the arrest Wednesday, Michael T. Dolce is expected to appear in a West Palm Beach federal court Thursday where he is facing multiple child pornography charges.
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According to his arrest affidavit, on March 15, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Dolce’s West Palm Beach apartment.
Detectives said they discovered Dolce actively downloading child sexual abuse material using peer-to-peer software.
Investigators said nearly 2,000 images and videos of child pornography were recovered from his devices.
According to a federal criminal complaint, the images and videos depicted girls as young as 5 years old.
Investigators said after confiscating Dolce’s phone, it was found unlocked with a background image featuring a female between the ages of 16 and 25 engaged in sexual intercourse with two men.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Dolce was most recently a partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll in Palm Beach Gardens and head of the firm’s sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and domestic abuse team.
“He (Dolce) has achieved multiple multi-million-dollar trial verdicts for his clients, as well as numerous settlements for survivors of sexual crimes, including child and adult victims, and adult survivors of child sexual abuse. Michael also played a pivotal role in helping to pass Florida’s 2010 legislation that repealed all statutes of limitation for civil and criminal prosecution of child sexual abuse,” his “about” section on LinkedIn reads.
Dolce’s LinkedIn profile also states that “he brings to his work the insight and commitment of a survivor, having himself been the victim of sexual abuse as a young boy at the hands of a sadistic predator.”
He was not listed on Cohen Milstein’s website as of Wednesday evening. State bar records also reference his employment with the firm.
A spokesperson for the firm confirmed to Local 10 News that Dolce no longer works there.
“The firm is stunned and saddened by these appalling allegations,” the spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday night. “Michael Dolce was terminated and is no longer affiliated with the firm. We are focused on attending to the needs of our clients and staff, and continuing to cooperate fully with the investigation.”
Officials said the charges were brought about as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.