DOVER, Del. - The United States Air Force Office of Special Investigation (OSI) has charged Dover Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Paul Michael Wilcox with possession and transportation of child pornography.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by WBOC, an investigation was launched on May 30th after OSI received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The tip originated from Google, which had flagged a Google account that had allegedly uploaded 28 files categorized as containing apparent child pornography in May.
A search warrant was executed on June 2nd, allowing investigators to view the uploaded files. The criminal complaint lists examples of those files, all of which are extremely graphic depictions of child pornography.
Further investigation into the IP address location and phone number associated with the Google account and Verizon subscriber reportedly linked the account with Paul Michael Wilcox who was stationed at the Dover Air Force Base when the cybertip was received.
The complaint says that Wilcox resides on the base with his wife and two minor children.
Another search warrant was obtained for Wilcox’s vehicles and Wilcox himself and the searches were reportedly conducted on June 15th. The federal complaint says Wilcox admitted to using the account in question and that he had seen images of child pornography, but “could not recall how they got onto his account.”
According to the court documents, Wilcox also reportedly told investigators that someone had sent the images to him, he had viewed them, and that they were automatically downloaded to his Google Photos account.
Investigators also reportedly interviewed Wilcox’s wife, who said she was not aware of the Google account, according to the complaint.
Wilcox was arrested on possession and transportation of child pornography on June 15th and had an initial court appearance on the 16th. He was placed under temporary detention until his hearing on June 20th. According to court documents, there was sufficient evidence to show there was no “combination of conditions of release” to assure the safety of others.
Wilcox was ordered detained on June 21st pending trial.
Dover Air Force Base said the following in a statement to WBOC:
"A Chief Master Sergeant assigned to the 436th Airlift Wing, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware was arrested for alleged possession of child pornography. We hold our Airmen to the highest standards and will work with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Office of Special Investigation and local law enforcement during their investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is the lead for this investigation and any further questions can be directed to their office."
UPDATE:
On August 14, 2024, the United State's Department of Justice in the District of Delaware announced that Wilcox pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material. Chief Judge Colm F. Connolly, U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, accepted the plea.