A Paulding County man convicted of possessing child pornography

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. - A Paulding County man has been convicted of possessing child pornography. 

On July 16, Michael Peter Marrero, 42, pled guilty to 61 counts of sexual exploitation of children, possession of child pornography. 

Paulding County Superior Court Chief Judge Tonny Beavers sentenced Marrero to 40 years where he'd serve 20 years in state prison. The remaining 20 will be served on probation and he'll be listed as a Registered Sex Offender. 

Authorities started investigating Marrero in 2015, and while executing a search warrant at his home, he actively attempted to delete evidence on his computer, but investigators were able to recover the files.

He was arrested at the time of the search warrant, and indicted on 61 counts of sexual exploitation of children for the possession and distribution of child pornography.