Man accused of child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking

A man arrested for child pornography is now suspected of doing much more than that.  He is also accused of sexual exploitation and sex trafficking.

Sonny Miller spent more than 20 years behind bars for a rape case out of Macomb County.  He got out and a little over a year later, the convicted pedophile is accused of more heinous acts.  Among his aliases, Gypsy.  Sources say that's what he was.  Miller and five children had only lived next door to Cheri Mulligan in Dearborn Heights for less than three weeks before police raided his home in March and arrested him for child pornography.

"I was really, really upset," said.

According to the federal complaint, a search of his cell phone after he was caught breaking into a home in Dearborn revealed what was really going on behind closed doors -- child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking.  Investigators found naked pictures and sexually explicit videos of five boys and girls ranging in age from six to 15, the same kids living with him, in some videos having sexual relations with the 52-year-old himself.

Mulligan has three children.

"The detective came into my house telling me what he found in the girls' phones and what he found in the guy's phone, asking me if my kids were involved and looked at my kids to see if they would see any videos of my kids on the phones."

Also discovered through texts, the man who moved from place to place had possibly bought some, if not all, of the female children he had living with him carrying out the sexual acts.  In one video, Miller is seen lying on a bed with no shirt saying, "As long as she can make babies, she'll have money."

"The front of the house, it was always closed up.  They never had their shades open or anything like that, and I just thought they were private people," said neighbor Pamela Strilecky.  "I'm like really disturbed right now ... that was living in my neighborhood.  I'm disturbed that was even going on."

Miller, a registered sex offender, was not only living next door to unsuspecting families, but a few feet away from a recreation center and down the street from a school.

"It was just a relief once I knew that they wouldn't be back," said Mulligan.

Southeast Michigan Crimes against Children Task Force is investigating this case, which could be part of a larger investigation since sadly sex trafficking of children is something that's out there.

As for the children that were living with Miller, we're told they're now in protective custody.

The U.S. Marshals have Miller in custody.  He was officially charged with child pornography Wednesday.