BOSTON – A Waltham man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Boston to possession of child pornography.
Christopher J. Sullivan, 20, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography after being arrested and charged in May 2016. U.S. District Court Senior Judge Mark L. Wolf scheduled sentencing for May 23, 2017.
In January 2016, federal agents in Portland, Ore., received information that a minor boy had been engaging in online sexually explicit conversation with an adult man living in Waltham, Mass. Following an investigation, a federal search warrant was issued for a residence in Waltham in May 2016. During the execution of the search warrant, law enforcement officers recovered a number of devices, later determined to belong to Sullivan. These devices, which Sullivan later admitted to possessing, contained multiple images and videos depicting children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. A forensic analysis revealed that the majority of the children depicted in the pictures and videos were between the ages of 7 and 12 years old.
The charging statute provides for no greater than 20 years in prison, a mandatory minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting U.S. Attorney William D. Weinreb and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. The Waltham Police Department assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Weinreb’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.