Former Early Childhood Education Student Convicted on Child Pornography Charges

BOSTON—A former Bridgewater State College early childhood education student was convicted late yesterday by a jury in U.S. District Court on child pornography charges.

Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer, Acting United States Attorney Michael K. Loucks and Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Boston Field Division, announced that JOHNNY PIRES, 24, formerly of Middleboro, was convicted by a federal jury of one count of attempting to receive child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography, following a four- day trial before U.S. District Judge Rya W. Zobel. PIRES was acquitted on one count of attempted receipt of child pornography.

According to evidence presented during the trial, the case arose as the result of an FBI undercover operation that targeted individuals using file sharing programs to trade child pornography. PIRES shared images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, through a file share program that allows users to exchange image and video files for free, called Limewire.

During the course of the investigation, a federal agent downloaded images from PIRES and was able to access PIRES’ shared folder, which stored numerous images of child pornography depicting pre-pubescent children engaged in various sexual acts. Based on this information, a search warrant was executed at PIRES’ residence, and PIRES confessed to accessing child pornography through file share programs and downloading images of the sexual abuse of children. At trial, PIRES disputed the confession, claiming he did not intend to download or share child pornography. A hard drive seized from PIRES’ residence revealed numerous images of child pornography, all of which appeared to have been downloaded using Limewire.

PIRES faces up to 20 years imprisonment on each count, to be followed by supervised release for life. He also faces a 5 year mandatory minimum sentence on Count Two, attempted receipt of child pornography. Judge Zobel scheduled sentencing for October 22, 2009.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of online sexual exploitation of children, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Kanwit for the District of Massachusetts and Trial Attorney LisaMarie Freitas of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.