South Florida attorney sentenced on child porn charge
A South Florida attorney — known as an advocate for sexual abuse victims — was sentenced to four years in federal prison last week after he pleaded guilty to downloading thousands of child porn images.
After Michael Thomas Dolce completes his prison term, he will have to spend the next 15 years on supervised release. Additionally, the 54-year-old Palm Beach man will be permanently banned from practicing law in the state effective Friday, according to a Supreme Court of Florida ruling.
“As an attorney and Southern District resident, Michael Dolce had a duty to protect children from the very crimes for which he pled guilty to committing,” U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida said Tuesday in a news release.
“There is nothing more despicable than those who carry out crimes against the most innocent among us - our children,” added FBI Special Agent Jeffrey B. Veltri.
According to court documents, FBI agents executing a search warrant March 15 knocked on the door of Dolce’s West Palm Beach apartment, identified themselves and ordered him to come out. When he didn’t respond, investigators say agents breached the door.
Once inside the apartment, agents said they discovered that Dolce was actively downloading child porn to his Samsung laptop. Agents added they also found 1,997 photos and five videos depicting child porn — including several dozen photos of prepubescent girls as young as 5 in “varying states of undress.”
Dolce was a partner at
Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, PLLC in Palm Beach Gardens, where he led the law firm’s Sexual Abuse, Sex Trafficking, and Domestic Violence team, according to since-then deleted entries in the company’s website.
Dole was fired shortly after his arrest.
“The firm is stunned and saddened by these appalling allegations,” a law firm spokesperson told the Herald in March.
In October, Dolce pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual exploitation and other abuse of children, court records show. He was sentenced Monday.
“Dolce was sentenced to prison for casting aside his oath and victimizing the most vulnerable people in society – our children,” Lapointe said.