If an investigator from Canton Public Safety, the Michigan State Police, or a federal agency has shown up at your home or called you about CSAM (Child Sexually Abusive Material), the investigation did not start yesterday. It likely started weeks or months ago, with a tip you never saw.
By the time you learn a case exists, investigators are not deciding whether something happened. They are gathering what they need to charge someone, often using a search warrant. So, anything you say helps them, not you.
Do not engage in conversations with the Police. Do not call the detective back to explain. Do not consent to a search. Do not hand over a password. Get a CSAM defense attorney on the phone first.
At Blank Law, PC, sex crimes defense is not part of our practice. It is the entire practice. Our attorneys spent decades prosecuting sex crimes before moving to the defense side.
Call Blank Law, PC, NOW at (248) 515-6583 for a free and confidential consultation.
A Canton case does not stay in Canton. The police work may begin with Canton Public Safety, but the first court hearings happen at the 35th District Court in Plymouth, the felony stage is handled in Detroit by the prosecutor’s office for Michigan’s most populous county, and if the federal government decides to take the case, that will move the case to the federal courthouse downtown. Your defense must account for all three from the beginning.
The fallout is not confined to court. Canton is Michigan’s second most-populated township, and many people here hold professional licenses, go to school, or work for large employers. For them, the allegation alone can set off an employer review, Title 9, or a licensing inquiry before any charge is filed. What you tell an HR investigator does not stay with HR. It can surface in the criminal file later.
The weeks before charges are filed are when a defense attorney has the greatest impact to work.
Most Canton cases trace back to one of four starting points.
1. Undercover and Task Force Operations: Michigan’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force and federal agents work undercover in apps and chat rooms. They are watching for anything that could be construed as CSAM. Some of the most common Apps they monitor include Reddit, Snapchat, Kick, YouTube, Discord, and Telegram.
2. A Tip from a Technology Company: When Google, Snapchat, Dropbox, or another platform becomes aware of suspected CSAM, federal law requires it to report the suspected CSAM to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which then routes reports to law enforcement. Most reports come from automated file-fingerprint matching. Software flags files, not intent, and a report points to an internet subscription or IP address, not to whoever was using it.
3. Peer-to-Peer Network Monitoring: Investigators use software that flags known files moving across file-sharing networks, then subpoena the internet provider for the subscriber’s name. File-sharing programs can automatically upload from a shared folder. Whether anything was shared knowingly is an element the prosecution must prove. You may have believed that you shared or received adult pornography, only to find out that CSAM was shared with you too.
4. A Report from Inside Your Own Circle: An ex in a custody battle. A relative on a shared laptop. A repair technician who saw a thumbnail. Accusations from people with access to your devices raise the questions that decide these cases: whose account, whose folder, whose hands on the keyboard.
Michigan defines Child Sexually Abusive Material broadly. It reaches photos, videos, AI, and more, of anyone under 18 shown in sexual activity or other depictions the statute lists, and in some situations even material that only appears to show a minor. The prosecution must prove you knowingly possessed or accessed the material. Files you never asked for and never opened can still trigger an investigation. Knowledge is the fight.
Michigan charges CSAM at three levels:
A possession conviction generally means Tier I registration on the Sex Offender Registry for 15 years. Distribution and production generally mean Tier II registration for 25 years.
Most Wayne County CSAM cases are charged under Michigan law. Federal prosecutors often take over when they see distribution or a large volume of files. Canton falls within the Eastern District of Michigan. Federal cases from here are typically prosecuted at Detroit’s federal courthouse, where penalties are far higher. Both of our attorneys practice there. Whether a case stays state or goes federal is sometimes undecided in the early weeks. You must get counsel involved while that choice is still open.
If the police contact you, it might be from a Canton Public Safety detective, a State Police computer crimes investigator, or a federal agent. The pitch barely varies, and neither does the call we get afterward. “An officer just called me. He said he wants to ask me a few questions. He said it would be quick. He said to come down to the station to ask me a few questions. He said it would be better if I cooperated. What do I do?”
Do not go. Do not talk. Call a lawyer first.
Many people are surprised to learn that investigators are legally permitted to use deception during interviews. A detective may claim to have evidence that does not exist or suggest that another person has implicated you when that is not true. The Police lean on this because frightened people fill the silence. Time and again, the worst piece of evidence is something our client said before hiring us. Even an innocent denial can be turned against you.
There is exactly one thing to say:
“I would like to speak to my attorney before I answer any questions. Please contact Blank Law, PC at (248) 515-6583.”
Save it in your phone. Make sure your family knows it too.
If officers show up without a warrant and ask to step inside or look at a device, you are allowed to say no. Say it calmly and then call us. If they have a search warrant, do not obstruct them, but do not help them either. Do not voluntarily unlock anything or give up a password. Leave that decision to your lawyer.
The consequences for CSAM cases in Michigan are devastating. They include not only potential prison time but also registration on the Sex Offender Registry and the potential loss of use of your electronics. That pressure pushes people to make costly mistakes:
Hiring an attorney without substantial experience defending CSAM allegations. These cases involve digital forensic evidence, search warrant litigation, sentencing exposure, and Sex Offender Registry consequences that require specialized knowledge. You don’t want to hire an attorney with a general criminal defense background and who claims to do sex crimes; you want a firm that focuses solely on CSAM allegations.
Going in to “clear things up.”
Explaining themselves to an employer or a licensing board before consulting with a lawyer.
Deleting files or resetting devices after police contact can incur a separate charge.
Waiting for charges before taking action and consulting with Blank Law, PC.
Why Clients Across Michigan Choose Blank Law, PC
Nicole Blank Becker spent more than 17 years prosecuting sex crimes, ending her career as Chief of the Macomb County Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit.
Christopher Coyle spent 28 years at the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, rising to Deputy Chief of the Special Victims Unit.
An exclusive focus on sex crimes defense. We do not divide our attention across multiple practice areas.
State and federal representation. We defend clients throughout Michigan, including in the Eastern District of Michigan, where federal Canton Township cases are prosecuted.
As Chief of the Macomb County Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit, Nicole Blank Becker reviewed every warrant request submitted for authorization in her division. That experience provided a firsthand view of how investigations are built, where mistakes occur, and where assumptions can sometimes take the place of evidence.
She founded Blank Law, PC, in 2018 to bring that experience to individuals facing some of the most serious allegations in Michigan’s criminal justice system.
CSAM defense requires a highly specialized understanding of digital forensics, search warrant litigation, state and federal sentencing frameworks, and the long-term consequences associated with Michigan’s Sex Offender Registry. It is not an area of law that lends itself to general practice. It is the work we do every day.
If you or someone you love is being investigated for a CSAM offense in Canton Township or anywhere in Wayne County, do not wait for charges to be filed; contact us. Early intervention can affect charging decisions, investigative strategy, and the overall trajectory of the case.
Contact Blank Law, PC at (248) 515-6583 for a free, confidential consultation.
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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