1:16-mj-30232-PTM Doc # 1 Filed 05/19/16 Pg 1 of 7

AUSA
Special Agent

AO 91 {Rev.02109) Criminal Complaint

Pg ID 1

POP

Chris Cruse, U555

UNmpo SrarEs DrsrRrcr Counr

tbr thc

Eastern District of Michigan

United States of Americ4

Case: '1 :16-mj-30232

Judge: Morris, Patricia T.
Filed: 05-19-2016 At '10:59 AM
CMP USAv. Thomas Ranzenberger (krk)

Plaintiff,

MARK THOMAS
RANZENBERGER,

D<tendant,

CRIMINAL COMPLAINT
I, the complainant in this case, stale that the following is true to the best of my knowledge and beliet

On or about the date of March 10,2016

in the Eastem Districl
, in the county e; lsabella
ofMichigan, the defendant violated 18
U.S.C. $ 2252A(aX5)&(bX2) , an offense (or offenses)
described as follows:
Possession of Child Pornography lnvolving a Prepubescent Minor or a Minor Who Had Not Attained 12 years of Age

This criminal complaint is based on these facts:

Continued on the attached sheet.

's

signat re

Chris Cruse, Special Agent USSS

Printed nafie anrl litle

Swom to before me and signed in my presence.

Dare:

HAYlg2016
.ludic ial Oflicer

City and state:

BaY CitY

s i gnahte

Patricia T. Morris, U.5. Magistrate Judge

, Michigan

Printed name und

Submit by Email

Print Form

lille

1:16-mj-30232-PTM Doc # 1 Filed 05/19/16 Pg 2 of 7

AFFIDAVIT I

Pg ID 2

RT OF CRIMINAL COMPLAINT

I, Christopher Cruse, being first duly sworn, hereby depose and say:

I.
1

INTRODUCTION

am a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service

("USSS") assigned to the Saginaw Field Office. I have been employed in

this capacity since September of 2015.

2.

The facts set forth in this affidavit are based on information

gained through this investigation,

my training and

experience, and

infbrmation provided by other law enforcement officers and others who have
personal knowledge of the events and circumstances described herein.

3.

Since this Affidavit is being submitted for the limited purpose

of securing a criminal complaint, I have not included each and every fact
known to me conceming this investigation.

that

believe are necessary

to

have set forth only the facts

establish probable cause

to believe that

MARK THOMAS RANZENBERGER violated Title 18, United

States

Code, Sections2252A (a)(5)(B) and (bX2), by possessing child pornography

involving a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained l2 years of

age.

1:16-mj-30232-PTM Doc # 1 Filed 05/19/16 Pg 3 of 7

II.
4

Pg ID 3

DETAILS OF INVESTIGATION

In March 2016, I

was notified by the Central Michigan

University Police Department (CMUPD) that they have been conducting a

criminal investigation concerning the downloading of child pomography on
a Central Michigan University computer.

5.

On March 10,, 2016, Central Michigan University Faculty

Personnel Services (FPS) informed CMUPD that they had been conducting

an administrative investigation of a CMU Faculty Member, MARK

THOMAS RANZENBERGER, which appeared to tum into a criminal
matter. The investigation started when, on March 4,2016, a CMU student

reported

to the FPS that, while in class, instructor

accessed

files from his Dropbox account, which is a cloud-based

RANZENBERGER
storage

solution, on his university-issued computer; the files accessed appeared to be

thumbnails of pornographic images, which were seen by the entire class.

6.

As part of their administrative investigation into

employee

misconduct, CMU Information Technology personnel remotely made a

backup copy of RANZENBERGER's CMU-issued computer. On March 9,

2016, an FPS employee reviewed the backup copy and saw pictures that
appeared to contain nude images of minor children.

1:16-mj-30232-PTM Doc # 1 Filed 05/19/16 Pg 4 of 7

7.

Pg ID 4

On March 10, 2015, CMUPD Detective Michael Sienkiewicz

reviewed the images copied from RANZENBERGER's computer and

determined they depicted child pomography, i.e., images of minor, including
prepubescent, girls posing naked in sexually suggestive poses or engaged in
sexual acts.

8.

On the same date, Det. Sienkiewicz obtained and executed

state search warrant at RANZENBERGER's CMU office. He seized the

following items: one CMU-owned iMac computer, one Firewire/USB

external drive, one zip disk/drive, four 3.5" floppy disks, two USB thumb
drives, two Flip video cameras, 1GB hard drive, one Kodak digital camera
and SD card, three evidence bags containing multiple CDs, zip disks, and
floppy disks, and one Apple iPad.

9.

Pursuant to a state search warrant, Det. Sienkiewicz forensically

searched and analyzed the items seized. The items contained images

of

minor, including prepubescent, girls posing naked in a sexually suggestive

manner or engaged in sexual acts, including penetration of an infant; a text
document describing year-by-year how to groom a child from birth until age
11

to participate in sexual acts that also contained an image of a clothed

female of the approximate age of the corresponding number; several power

point presentations created by RANZENBERGER containing lascivious

3

1:16-mj-30232-PTM Doc # 1 Filed 05/19/16 Pg 5 of 7

Pg ID 5

depictions of minor, including prepubescent, girls posing naked or engaged

in sexual acts; and photographs ofclothed children that appeared to be taken

by RANZENBERGER at various public locations without the children's

knowledge, which were saved

in

folders that contained exclusively

pomographic content.

10.

CMUPD Sgt. Mike Morrow consensually

interviewed

RANZENBERGER. RANZENBERGER stated he thought he had "gotten

rid of all that stuff." He admitted he found the images on a German website

and that he used the images

to

make power points and 'Jerk off."

RANZENBERGER admitted he created the grooming document on his

computer, but claimed

it

was "purely fantasy." He denied ever sexually

assaulting children. RANZENBERCER voluntarily tumed over his personal

computer to Sgt. Morrow.

I

l.

Subsequent

to a

state search warrant, Det. Sienkiewicz

fbrensically searched and analyzed RANZENBERGER's personal computer.

It contained some images of child pomography and some of the photographs

surreptitiously taken by RANZENBERGER mentioned above.

12.

Det. Sienkiewicztagged a total of approximately 1,032 images

of child pornography from all of RANZENBERGER's electronic media.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children detennined that 86

1:16-mj-30232-PTM Doc # 1 Filed 05/19/16 Pg 6 of 7

of

these images were

Pg ID 6

of an identified child, 502 images

contained

recognized hash values, and 444 did not contain recognized hash values.

13.

On May 18, 2016, I interviewed RANZENBERGER, who came

in for a voluntary interview at the Michigan State Police Post in Mount

Pleasant, Michigan. RANZENBERGER stated that sometime in 2004-2006
he accessed a bulletin board from where he downloaded zip files containing

images depicting little kids. He stated he copied them onto CDs and then

made power points. He stated he 'Jacked

off' to the images.

RANZENBERCER stated that about a year or two ago he found one of his
CDs and looked at it on the CMU computer because it had a disk drive. He
stated he then saved the contents

ofthe CD onto his personal drop box.

estimated he saved approximately five to

III.
14.

Therefore,

He

l0 power point presentations.

CONCLUSION

submit there is probable cause

to believe that

MARK THOMAS RANZENBERGER possessed child pomography in

1:16-mj-30232-PTM Doc # 1 Filed 05/19/16 Pg 7 of 7

Pg ID 7

violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252A(aX5XB) and

(b)(2), in the Eastem District of Michigan, Northem Division.

-t -.-.

Christopher
Special Agent
United States Secret Service

Affiant

Subscribed and swom before me this

Pa

1Qth day of May, 2016.

cia T. Morris

U.S. MAGISTRATE JUDGE