Unlawful images lead to "hands-on" contact offender and prison

In November 2007, technicians from America On-Line (AOL) found suspicious images depicting the sexual exploitation of minors on their computer servers. In accordance with Federal law, AOL reported the images to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Analysts from NCMEC traced the images to Arizona and alerted investigators from the AZ ICAC Task Force. An investigation was conducted leading to a search warrant at a Phoenix apartment where Michael Hall Gallager, age 39, was identified as the offender. Investigators learned that in addition to being a possessor of unlawful images, Gallagher was also a previously unidentified "hands-on" contact offender who had committed sexual conduct with a minor and sexual abused.

If not for the investigation into unlawful images, the contact "hands-on" offenses would not have been discovered. The case further illustrates the importance of investigating possessors of unlawful images because some possessors are also contact offenders.

In October 2008, Gallagher plead guilty to one count of sexual conduct with a minor, one count of sexual abuse, and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. He is serving 17 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections. Inmate number 235301.