Man pleads guilty to producing child porn in Rancho Mirage

A Connecticut man pleaded guilty Wednesday to producing child pornography four years ago when he lived in Rancho Mirage, federal officials said.

Craig A. Middlemass, 58, of Portland, Conn., faces a minimum of 22 years in federal prison when he is sentenced July 20 in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Conn., said Tom Carson, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office.

He also could be fined $250,000.

“This particular defendant has exploited children for several years, and we will advocate for a sentence that will protect society from him for many years to come,” said U.S. Atty. Kevin J. O’Connor.

Middlemass admitted that he used a 15-year-old boy to produce and distribute pornography over the Internet while living in Rancho Mirage in 2003.

Authorities began monitoring Middlemass this year after he e-mailed child pornography to an undercover U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency agent in Arizona, Carson said.

Middlemass, a self-employed artist who was on disability after injuring his knee, was arrested at his home Jan. 23, Carson said.

Authorities found a collection of more than 3,200 child pornographic images contained in CDs, DVDs, computer disks, photo albums and other formats.

The majority were produced by Middlemass, Carson said. Many depicted images of sadism and masochism between boys.

The cache included photographs of Middlemass and a boy having sex, according to records.

It appeared the collection had been gathered for some time and in several states, Carson said.

Middlemass lived in Corona and Rancho Mirage from August 2001 to early 2004, Carson said. He had also lived in Florida and several Connecticut cities.

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jonathan.abrams@latimes.com