Chambersburg man accused of recording 'neighborhood kids' in bathroom charged with 32 counts

A child pornography investigation led to authorities allegedly finding sexually explicit files on a Chambersburg man's electronic devices, including videos showing children using the bathroom and patients in an "emergency department" in various states of undress. 

Michael David Bragg, 39, is charged with two counts of disseminating child pornography, 10 counts of manufacturing child pornography, 18 counts of possession of child pornography and one count of criminal use of a communication facility, all felonies, as well as one count misdemeanor indecent assault, according to court documents. He was arraigned and is being held in the Franklin County Jail without bail. 

Special agents with the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General began an online investigation on Jan. 10 to identify residents possessing and sharing child pornography using a file-sharing network. They downloaded two videos from a computer making them publicly available that showed men having sex with young girls. 

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The agents eventually received information from Comcast Cable Communications regarding subscriber information for the IP address associated with the files, which documents state showed the account holder lived in the 1500 block of Buttercup Drive in Chambersburg. 

Several months later, early last Friday morning, agents from the attorney general's office and Pennsylvania State Police conducted a search of the home and spoke with Bragg about the investigation. 

Documents show at first he told them he uses the internet, but for "nothing that would be illegal." Bragg indicated he knows how to use file-sharing programs, such as Kazaa and eMule, but doesn't remember the last time he used eMule. He also noted there is one computer in the house to which the whole family has access.

However, he then changed his story and admitted to using eMule to download pornography, but said it was never his intent to download child pornography, according to documents. He claimed to delete any of these files that would appear. 

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Bragg couldn't recall what search terms he used to find the pornography, but did say they would sometimes come up with "illicit" files. Documents show he considered a file illicit if "the person looks a little too young," has "under-developed breasts" or "looks under 18 (years old)," adding that he can usually tell someone's age. 

When asked how the child porn files might have been shared from his home, Bragg suggested someone in his family may have opened the eMule program, which would've caused it to re-download the files "from a long time ago," documents state. He could provide no other explanation. 

Even though he eventually told agents he didn't want to say anything further without a lawyer, Bragg later told them he did not use eMule last January. During this time, an agent also informed him that his family never used the program, nor had they ever seen it on the computer. According to documents, Bragg then allegedly said "it doesn't matter ... there's enough stuff on that computer" and "I'm going to plead guilty." 

While searching the computer and his cell phone, officials found at least 18 child porn files, including the two previously mentioned videos agents discovered at the start of the investigation, and "manufactured" child porn videos depicting 'neighborhood children" about 7 years old using the restroom and several pictures, with one depicting Bragg touching a young girl's genitals, court documents state. 

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Agents also found videos of patients in an undisclosed emergency department in various states of undress that had been secretly recorded. Bragg is an employee in the emergency medical field, court documents state. Documents did not give any further details, noting the evidence is part of a separate on-going investigation.  

The electronic devices were sent to the computer forensic unit for further analysis. 

Bragg's preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday, April 30 in Franklin County Central Court.