San Francisco police make two separate arrests on child porn charges
Gilbert Francisci, 41, and Michael Connell, 66, were arrested on child pornography charges.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - San Francisco police announced today that they arrested two men this month, including a lawyer, after investigators traced graphic child pornography images being uploaded and traded on the internet to their homes and computers.
Police arrested 41-year old Gilbert Francisco following a Dec. 14 search of his home in the 100 block of Curtis Street.
Francisco came under suspicion following an investigation that started in November into an individual who was uploading and trading child pornography through the internet.
Investigators found "thousands" of images and videos of child pornography on Francisco's computer, and arrested and booked him on suspicion of possession of child pornography, possession of more than 600 files of child pornography and three counts of distribution of child pornography, according to police.
Police began another investigation in August into an individual who was sharing child pornography through a chat messenger application.
After tracing the source of the uploads, investigators served a search warrant at a home in the 1700 block of 23rd Avenue and located a laptop belonging to a resident that contained child pornography images and videos.
Police arrested 66-year Michael Connell, a licensed attorney who practices law out of his home, on suspicion of possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography.
Francisco is out of custody. He was arraigned on Dec. 20 and his next court date is scheduled for Jan. 26.
Connell is also out of custody after posting $160,000 bail. No court date was immediately available but a charging decision is expected later this afternoon, according to the district attorney's office.
Connell has no public record of discipline or administrative actions and is currently licensed to practice law and listed as active, according to State Bar of California records.
Generally speaking, a member of the bar who is convicted of a serious crime would be subject to disciplinary action, according to state bar spokesman Jonah Lamb.