Goffstown Man Sentenced to Eight Years on Child Pornography Offense

CONCORD, NH—Joseph Edwards, 38, of Goffstown, was sentenced in United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to eight years in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney John P. Kacavas.

Edwards was arrested in April 2012 following a criminal investigation by the Goffstown Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that began when a citizen reported that images of child pornography had been observed in Edward’s residence. A search warrant executed at Edward’s residence revealed numerous videos depicting the sexual assault of children that had been downloaded through the Internet and stored on a computer owned by Edwards.

In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States 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.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by the Goffstown Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Helen White Fitzgibbon, the U.S. Attorney’s coordinator for Project Safe Childhood.