Meriden Man Arrested on Federal Child Pornography Charges

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Kimberly K. Mertz, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that DAVID WAYNE PILLSBURY, 52, of Lewis Avenue, Meriden, was arrested today by members of the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force and charged in a federal criminal complaint with possession of child pornography and receipt and distribution of child pornography.

The criminal complaint alleges that, on December 10, 2010, an FBI special agent in Buffalo, New York, acting in an undercover capacity, logged into a publicly available Internet file sharing program and downloaded 22 images of child pornography from a shared directory maintained by PILLSBURY.

PILLSBURY was arrested this morning at his residence. Law enforcement agents also seized PILLSBURY’s computer and related components.

Following his arrest, PILLSBURY appeared before United States District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford and is detained pending a hearing that is scheduled for January 25, 2011.

If convicted of the charge of possession of child pornography, PILLSBURY faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000. If convicted of the charge of receipt and distribution of child pornography, PILLSBURY faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years, and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000. If PILLSBURY qualifies as a second offender under the relevant statutes, he faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum of imprisonment of 20 years if convicted of the possession charge, and a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years if convicted of the receipt and/or distribution charge.

U.S. Attorney Fein stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force, which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The Connecticut State Police have provided valuable assistance to the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Deborah R. Slater.

The Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force investigates crimes occurring over the Internet, including computer intrusion, Internet fraud, copyright violations, Internet threats and harassment, and online crimes against children. The Task Force also provides computer forensic review services for participating agencies. The Task Force is housed in the main FBI office in New Haven, Connecticut. For more information about the Task Force, please contact the FBI at 203-777-6311.

U.S. Attorney Fein noted that this prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.