Clearwater Man Charged With Producing Child Sexual Abuse Material

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest and filing of a criminal complaint charging Brett Michael Reichold (34, Clearwater) with production of child sexual abuse material. Reichold was arrested on May 28, 2024, and has been ordered detained pending trial.

According to court documents, Reichold coerced several minors to send sexually explicit photos of themselves via a mobile application in exchange for money. Reichold also went to one minor victim’s home four to five times and asked the victim to engage in sexual conduct.

A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ross Roberts.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.