A Paulding County man will spend the next 20 years in a state prison following a guilty plea on child porn charges in Superior Court.
According to the Paulding County Sheriff's Office, Michael Peter Marrero pleaded guilty to 61 counts of sexual exploitation of children through the possession of child pornography.
The plea was non-negotiated leaving Marrero with a 40-year sentence - 20 of which will be served behind bars and the other 20 on probation as a registered sex offender.
Once released, Marrero will be registered as a sex offender and be bound by all conditions connected to that designation.
The conviction stems from a year-long investigation that began in October 2015. At the completion of the investigation, deputies gained search warrants for Marrero's home. He was found inside trying to delete the evidence but it was recovered by computer forensic's agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The arrest and conviction happened as part of an investigation in partnership with the GBI's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force of which Paulding County has been an affiliate since 2008.
