Seekonk Man Charged with Possession of Child Pornography

BOSTON – A Seekonk man was arrested today and charged in U.S. District Court in Boston with possession of child pornography.

Sean J. Trahan, 38, was charged in a criminal complaint with one count of possession of child pornography.  Trahan was held today pending a probable cause and detention hearing on Oct. 16, 2015, before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell.

According to the complaint, on Oct. 7, 2015, a search warrant was executed at Trahan’s residence in Seekonk.  During the search, a personal computer that contained images of child pornography was seized.  During an interview with law enforcement, Trahan stated that he had accessed sites containing child pornography, and that he had been previously convicted of possessing child pornography.

The charge of possessing child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and no greater than 20 years in prison, a 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.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Seekonk Police Chief Craig A. Mace, made the announcement today.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood.  In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse.  Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’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, 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 innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.