| BALTIMORE COUNTY SOFTBALL COACH INDICTED ON CHILD SEX CRIMES Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury indicted a Perry Hall, Maryland, softball coach in connection with child sexual abuse charges. Michael Joseph Pusateri, 59, of Nottingham, Maryland, is charged with producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), coercion and enticement, receipt of CSAM, and possession of CSAM. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI – Baltimore Field Office; Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger; and Chief Robert McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD). According to the indictment, between April 2025 and August 2025, Pusateri sent sexually explicit text messages to a minor victim, and later engaged in a physical sexual relationship with the child. Pusateri allegedly asked the minor victim to meet him at local-business parking lots to engage in sex acts. He groomed the minor victim through text messages and coerced and enticed the child into sending him sexual images. Pusateri also sent the minor victim several pictures of his genitals. When law enforcement seized his phone, BCPD uncovered over 400 phone calls between Pusateri and minor victim from March 21, 2025, through July 25. This case is 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 the United States Attorney's Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page. An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding. If convicted, Pusateri faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, with a maximum of 30 years in federal prison for CSAM production; 10 years to life for coercion and enticement; and up to 10 years for CSAM possession. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI, the Baltimore County State's Attorney's Office, and BCPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn who is prosecuting the federal case. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach. # # # | 
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