Pennsylvania Psychologist Edward J. Michaels Convicted for Child Porn

August 30, 2018

On June 6, 2018, psychologist Edward J. Michaels pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and was sentenced to two years of probation.

Michaels, who was arrested by Allegheny County Police on or about May 24, 2017, was at the time the director of the University of Pittsburgh’s counseling center, a position he’d held for two years. He was placed on leave following the arrest.

Police initially visited Michaels at his home in March 2017, after receiving a tip from a concerned person who had seen photographs of young girls there. The police found there photos of apparently prepubescent girls in sexually explicit poses. They seized two laptop computers, two USB memory sticks, and several hundred loose photographs, according to an affidavit in the case.

Michaels permanently surrendered his Pennsylvania psychologist’s license on August 22, 2017. He was licensed as well in Michigan, whose board of psychology suspended his license on July 27, 2018, and Illinois, which suspended it in December 2017, both relative to the surrender of his Pennsylvania license.

As a result of his conviction, Michaels was required to register as a sex offender in the state of Pennsylvania. The State Police’s Megan’s Law (sex offender) Public Report contains information on two offenses: possession of child pornography and sexual abuse of children.

Source: Court Summary, Michaels, Edward J., Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, Case CP-02-CR-0013082-2017; “Pitt counseling center director charged with possessing child porn,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 24, 2017; Consent Agreement and Order, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs vs. Edward Joseph Michaels, Ph.D., File No. 17-63-06111, August 22, 2017; Disciplinary Action Report, Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing, Orders served from 7/23/2018 through 7/27/2018; Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, “Lookup Detail View” of Edward Joseph Michaels, accessed 8/23/2018; and Pennsylvania State Police Megan’s Law Report on Edward Joseph Michaels, created 8/30/2018.