Boston Man Arrested on Child Exploitation Charges

BOSTON – A Boston man was charged yesterday in federal court in Boston with receipt and possession of child pornography.

Robinson Alberto Baez-Nova, 37, of Jamaica Plain, was charged in a criminal complaint with one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Following an initial appearance, Baez-Nova was detained pending a detention hearing schedule for May 5, 2021.

According to the charging documents, on Nov. 5, 2020, police received 13 National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline reports associated with a Google account and email addresses linked to Baez-Nova. These reports indicated that the Google account uploaded suspected child pornography to Baez-Nova’s Google Photos between Nov. 14, 2018 and Aug. 27, 2020. A subsequent search of Baez-Nova’s cellphone revealed images and videos of child pornography. Specifically, Baez-Nova allegedly received child pornography on a WhatsApp group message on March 14, 2019. 

The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Each charge also provides for a mandatory minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; Nashua Police Department; Hillsborough County (N.H.) District Attorney’s Office; and Homeland Security Investigations in Boston. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Mackenzie Duane of Mendell’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The case was 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 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 charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.