Michael Dolce: Florida lawyer who fought for sexual abuse victims arrested over child porn charges
Mia Walsh
Updated on March 27, 2026
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: Michael Thomas Dolce, 53, who became a prominent attorney for representing sexual abuse victims has been accused of downloading child porn and is now taken into custody. Following a search warrant executed at his West Palm Beach apartment on March 15, the FBI broke down his door as he did not respond.
The Florida attorney was caught actively downloading child-porn images onto his laptop. According to prosecutors, his electronic devices contain over 2,000 child porn images and videos which included photos of prepubescent girls in "varying states of undress," according to the New York Post.
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Who is Michael Thomas Dolce?
Dolce who graduated from Stetson University College of Law in 1994 led the domestic violence, sex trafficking, and sexual abuse team at the law firm, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, and was also a partner of the firm in West Palm Beach Gardens, as per the website's page which was deleted following the arrest.
In a statement to the Miami Herald, the company stated, "The firm is stunned and saddened by these appalling allegations. Michael Dolce was terminated and is no longer affiliated with the firm," and added, "We are focused on attending to the needs of our clients and staff, and continuing to cooperate fully with the investigation."
Dolce previously said he was a victim of sexual abuse
The 53-year-old allegedly downloaded the images using peer-to-peer software. Talking about Dolce's activity, the feds said, "One sub-folder, titled ‘sweetie,’ featured an addition[al] sub-folder titled ‘Sweet-Pedo Stars,’ which featured child erotica and child pornography images of a single prepubescent minor female victim with the added watermark ‘PEDO STARs.' "
Dolce who has talked about child sex abuse in many interviews previously told WPBF that at the age of 7, he was also a sexual abuse victim. He has advocated for repealing all statutes of limitations in cases involving child sexual battery. On the child porn possession charge, he is set to make his first court appearance on April 13. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail, according to New York Post.
