Former Brookline Pastor Sentenced for Child Pornography Offenses

BOSTON, MA—A former Brookline man who served at the First Spiritual Temple as a minister, teacher, counselor, and "medium" was sentenced today to 84 months in prison on child pornography charges.

SIMEON P. STEFANIDAKIS, 60, previously of Old Greenwich, Conn. and Brookline, Mass., was sentenced by Judge William G. Young to 84 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to four counts of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

STEFANIDAKIS, who previously served as the minister of the Albertson Memorial Church, was convicted of transporting child pornography in 2008 and of possessing child pornography in 2009. He possessed over 10,000 images and videos of child pornography that included depictions of prepubescent minors and sadistic conduct.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer for the Criminal Division, and Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Boston Field Office made the announcement today. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Suffolk County (New York) Police Department. Significant assistance was provided by the Brookline Police Department and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Yoon of Ortiz's Major Crimes Unit and Trial Attorney Bonnie Kane of the Department of Justice's Child Exploitation & Obscenity Section.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.