If you are being investigated for CSAM (Child Sexually Abusive Material) in Battle Creek or anywhere in Calhoun County, what you do next matters.
Investigators often build a case for months before contacting you. By the time they call or execute a search warrant, they are looking for evidence to support charges, not your side of the story.
Do not speak with investigators. Do not consent to searches. Do not give anyone your password. Do not try to explain what happened. Call an attorney first.
At Blank Law, PC, we defend people accused of sex crimes in state and federal courts throughout Michigan. Our CSAM defense attorneys are former prosecutors and former chiefs of the Sexual Assault Units who spent decades handling these cases from the government’s (prosecutor’s) side before dedicating their current practice to defending those accused of sex offenses.
Call Blank Law, PC, a firm that fights for your future – NOW at (248) 515-6583 for a free and confidential consultation.
CSAM cases frequently involve multiple agencies, including the Michigan State Police Computer Crimes Unit, local law enforcement, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The consequences of any of these agencies, including Battle Creek, showing up at your doorstep can be devastating. While your first inclination may be to cooperate and talk to the police, the best thing you can do is invoke your right to remain silent.
Oftentimes, the investigation reaches beyond the criminal file. While law enforcement builds its case, an employer or school may open an internal investigation, a licensing board may request information, or a security clearance may be reviewed or suspended. These proceedings move independently and often begin long before a criminal conviction, or even formal charges.
One of the biggest mistakes we see is people attempting to cooperate with a criminal investigator/detective, a Title IX investigator, a licensing board, or an employer before speaking with their attorney. Statements made in one proceeding can, and often do, create significant problems in another.
At Blank Law, PC, we routinely represent clients whose livelihoods and freedom are at stake, in more ways than one. Our goal is to defend against criminal charges while also helping protect your employment, licensing, and reputational interests that may be at stake. The earlier we are involved, the more of that risk can be managed. Wait too long, and you may inadvertently incriminate yourself. At Blank Law, PC, we take a global look at how we can best protect your future on all levels.
The investigation usually begins long before you know it exists. The following are the most common starting points:
1. Reports from Technology Companies: Federal law requires online platforms such as Google, Dropbox, and Snapchat to report suspected CSAM to NCMEC, which forwards reports to law enforcement, often the Michigan State Police Computer Crimes Unit. A report is not proof that a crime occurred. Investigators must still establish who accessed, possessed, or distributed the material.
2. Workplace Network Investigations: Many employers monitor company-owned devices and networks. When concerning material is detected on a work-issued computer or network, employers may investigate internally and, in some cases, refer the matter to law enforcement.
3. Reports from Family Members or Other Individuals: Investigations sometimes begin after a spouse, ex-spouse, roommate, or coworker reports suspected activity, often based on something seen on a shared device or cloud account. These cases raise important questions about device ownership, access, and who was actually responsible.
4. Federal Investigations and Online Operations: Federal agencies, including the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, conduct undercover operations on online platforms and peer-to-peer networks. Because federal penalties can be significantly more severe, early legal intervention is especially important whenever federal authorities are involved.
No matter how an investigation begins, one fact remains: if law enforcement contacts you, their purpose is to gather evidence that will be used against you, no matter what you say. Speak with a defense attorney at Blank Law, PC, before you answer anyone.
Under Michigan law, Child Sexually Abusive Material (CSAM) generally refers to visual depictions involving a person under the age of 18 engaged in certain sexual acts or depicted in ways prohibited by statute. A Calhoun County case may remain in Michigan’s state court system or be adopted by federal prosecutors; federal penalties are often significantly more severe.
The most common CSAM charges:
1. Possession. Prosecutors must prove the defendant knowingly possessed the material. A conviction can mean prison, substantial fines, and registration under Michigan law.
2. Distribution. Claims that material was shared or made available to others. Peer-to-peer software can share files without a user’s knowledge or intent, so these cases often turn on highly technical forensic evidence.
3. Production. Allegations that someone created or participated in creating the material. These are the most serious charges prosecutors can bring.
Not every CSAM investigation results in federal charges, but federal authorities may step in when they believe aggravating factors are present, such as distribution or large quantities of files. That decision is not always made immediately. In some investigations, there is a window between the search warrant and the filing of charges, during which prosecutors and AUSAs are still deciding how the case will proceed.
That window can be critically important. Early involvement lets an attorney at Blank Law, PC, analyze the facts, preserve favorable evidence, and address issues before charging decisions are finalized.
It may be a Battle Creek detective, a sheriff’s investigator, a State Police detective, or a federal agent who contacts you. The script rarely changes, and neither should yours.
The call we get afterward is nearly word-for-word every time: “An officer just called me. He said he just wants to ask me a few questions. He said it would be quick. He said to come down to the station just to ask me a few questions. He said it would be better if I cooperated. What do I do?”
Don’t speak. Get a lawyer first.
The law allows law enforcement to lie to you. A detective can claim to already have your CSAM files or tell you that your spouse told them everything. None of it has to be true. The law allows them not to tell you the whole truth, and it works. Scared people talk. In many of our cases, the most damaging evidence is something the client said before calling us. Even a denial can be twisted.
There is only one answer to give any investigator:
“I would like to speak to my attorney before I answer any questions. Please contact Blank Law, PC.”
Write it down. Give it to your family. Do not discuss the case with anyone but your lawyer. Anyone you talk to can be made a witness.
If officers arrive with no warrant and ask to come in or look at your phone, these are called consent searches, and you may say no. In fact, you should say no. If they don’t have a warrant, then you don’t have to acquiesce to either. Say no politely and call us. On the other hand, if they have a warrant, do not interfere or resist. Legally, they can search the premises described in the search warrant and seize items related to what they claim to be searching for in the search warrant. What you do not have to do is unlock a device or hand over a password. That fight belongs to your lawyer.
The consequences for CSAM cases in Michigan are devastating. They involve not only potential imprisonment, but registration on the Sex Offender Registry and potential loss of the use of your electronics. Under that pressure, people make mistakes no lawyer can fully undo:
1. Talking to investigators without a lawyer.
2. Giving statements to an employer, school, or licensing board before your defense is coordinated.
3. Believing a deleted file is a gone file, or trying to clean up. Wiping devices after police contact can bring separate charges.
4. Hiring a general criminal defense lawyer. A CSAM criminal case can take your future and your freedom. That is why you need to hire a defense attorney who knows exactly what to do in CSAM cases, not general defense cases.
5. Waiting until after charges are filed.
1. Two former Prosecutors who were Chiefs of the Sex Crimes/Sexual Assault Units, now on your side.
2. Nicole Blank Becker: 17+ years as a Michigan prosecutor, Chief of the Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit in Macomb County.
3. Christopher Coyle: 25 + years as a Michigan prosecutor, Deputy Chief of the Special Victims Unit in Wayne County.
4. A criminal defense practice exclusive to sex crimes and CSAM. Nothing else.
5. Unbeatable trial defense in Michigan’s state and federal courts.
As Chief, Nicole was familiar with every sex crime case that went through Macomb County. It was obvious that the defense attorneys who handled these types of crimes had absolutely no business doing so. They did not focus on Sex Crime cases in their firms; they were general criminal defense attorneys. CSAM defense demands command of forensic extraction reports, both federal and state sentencing guidelines, and the Sex Offender Registry’s rules. That is the work this firm was built to do. Once you retain us, the detective’s calls come to us. You stay quiet, and we go to work.
If you or someone you love is being investigated, or may be investigated, for a CSAM offense in Battle Creek or anywhere in Calhoun County, contact us before you do anything else.
Blank Law, PC
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We are here to help. That is all we do.
Every situation is fact-specific, and outcomes depend on details that cannot be evaluated online. This page is for general information only. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and Blank Law, PC. If you have been contacted by law enforcement, the only reliable next step is to speak with a defense lawyer about your specific situation.
Blank Law, PC | 3150 Livernois Road, Suite 126, Troy, MI 48083 | (248) 515-6583 | nicoleblankbecker.com
We are located on the Northeast corner of Big Beaver & Livernois in the Venture Plaza Office Building.
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