DEARBORN, Mich. – A computer linked to a Dearborn man showed signs of an enormous stash of suspected child sexually abusive material: 35,002 potentially downloadable files “of investigative interest,” federal investigators said.
Federal prosecutors in Detroit unsealed a federal complaint and warrant for the arrest of Audy Mugally Al-Saidi, 26, on allegations of receipt, distribution, and possession of child pornography.
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An agent working under the FBI’s Innocent Images National Initiative -- part of the Violent Crimes Against Children Unit -- which investigates matters involving the online sexual exploitation of children, said the investigation into Al-Saidi began in February 2026.
Investigation details
Federal authorities said that on Feb. 18, 2026, the agent logged into a BitTorrent peer-to-peer file-sharing program using an undercover computer. Peer-to-peer file sharing systems allow internet users to share images and videos, and the users are generally anonymous to each other, court records said.
The FBI agent discovered a device and IP address that had approximately 35,002 potentially downloadable files “whose keywords or hash values were consistent with images or videos that likely meets the federal definition of child pornography.”
Using the FBI undercover computer that monitors child sexually abusive material (CSAM) shared through BitTorrent, the agent determined that in August 2025, a computer using the same IP address also shared about 75 files across different folders.
FBI Detroit said the files were downloaded and reviewed back in August, and the downloads contained images meeting “the federal definition of child pornography.”
Some of the downloaded content appeared to depict real children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including what the feds described as “the lascivious display” of children’s genital areas.
One downloaded folder was named “Ev… (PTHC),” the agent said, adding that “PTHC” is a term that refers to “preteen hardcore.” Another folder was named “incest and abuse” and contained videos of children being sexually assaulted by adults, according to the FBI.
Linking devices to Al-Saidi
On March 20, the FBI reviewed a law enforcement sensitive database and found that a device using the same IP address downloaded, made available for downloading, or uploaded files with titles consistent with child sexually abusive material about 3,500 times between July 16, 2025, and March 11, 2026.
Feds learned the IP address was serviced by WideOpenWest (WOW), and they served the company with a subpoena on Feb. 12, 2026. The results came almost a month later on March 10, and the IP address was traced back to a home on Lapham Street in Dearborn.
Al-Saidi’s arrest
The FBI said it searched the Lapham home on April 2, and Al-Saidi was not only inside the home, but also told agents he “was familiar with BitTorrent and used it to download movies.”
Investigators seized a phone from the area where Al-Saidi had been sleeping, along with a computer from his office area. Al-Saidi then gave the feds the passwords to both devices. Documents and identification cards associated with him were found near his computer, agents said.
On April 3, after a partial review of the phone and computer, the FBI said it found “hundreds of images meeting the federal definition of child pornography” on both devices. Investigators also found deleted files with names consistent with child sexually abusive material on the computer, including files named “Ev… (PTHC).”
The FBI said thumbnail images in the computer’s cached area depicted infant girls being sexually abused by adult males. The cached area also contained files depicting toddler-aged and young girls being sexually assaulted by adult males, feds said.
Al-Saidi’s bond
Al-Saidi was arrested and booked in the Sanilac County jail.
On April 9, he was given a $10,000 unsecured bond and home detention with GPS tether.
Upon release, Al-Saidi was ordered to report to pretrial services, surrender his passport and enhanced ID, and not to obtain a passport or travel outside of southeast Michigan. Al-Saidi was also ordered to obtain medical or mental health treatment and not to possess any weapons. Al-Saidi was restricted from any use of computers and internet, except for employment purposes, and to remove all internet-capable devices from his home within 48 hours of his release.
Al-Saidi was also ordered not to obtain, view, or possess any sexually explicit material in any form. He was ordered not to have unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18 or be within 100 yards of where children gather.