Northbridge Firefighter Charged with Distribution of Child Pornography
| U.S. Attorney’s Office August 18, 2010 |
BOSTON, MA—A Whitinsville man and employee of the Northbridge Fire Department was charged today in federal court with distribution and possession of child pornography.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz, Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, and Northbridge Police Chief Walter Warchol announced today that WILLIAM R. DAVIS, 33, was charged in a complaint with distribution and possession of child pornography.
The complaint alleges that in October 2009, March 2010 and May 2010, DAVIS distributed images of young boys engaged in sexually explicit conduct to various undercover law enforcement officers via the Internet. On the basis of that information, the FBI obtained a search warrant for his residence. Prior to the search, DAVIS spoke with agents from the FBI and admitted that he had been trading child pornography via a hybrid peer-to-peer network on the Internet for years.
The complaint also alleges that on prior occasions DAVIS invited several minor males over to his residence to spend the night. During the visits, he served the boys alcohol and they watched pornographic movies. As a result, in 2005, DAVIS was charged with eight counts of violating state liquor laws.
If convicted on these charges, DAVIS faces at least five years and up to 20 years’ imprisonment to be followed by at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine for each count.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Northbridge Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karin M. Bell of Ortiz's Worcester Branch Office.
This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In early 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The details contained in the complaint are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.