Newtown Man Sentenced to More Than 23 Years in Prison for Producing and Trading Child Pornography

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Edward F. Wilson, 29, of Newtown, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 280 months of imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for producing, trading, and possessing child pornography.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Wilson sexually abused a female child, filmed and photographed the abuse with an iPhone, and maintained the videos and images on his home computer. The victim was approximately 4 years old at the time of the abuse in 2011 and 2012.

In addition to filming, photographing, and maintaining videos and images of the sexual abuse that he inflicted on the female child, Wilson traded via e-mail hundreds of other images and videos of child pornography and maintained a collection of child pornography on his home computers.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is steadfastly committed to working with our state counterparts to use the full weight of federal child exploitation laws to prosecute those who commit these heinous crimes,” stated U.S. Attorney Fein. “Together we can protect society from dangerous offenders, often in ways that protect young victims from having to testify and being further victimized. I want to thank the Danbury State’s Attorney’s Office, the Connecticut State Police, the Newtown Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force for their critical assistance and cooperation during the course of this investigation.”

On February 13, 2013, Wilson pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography.

Wilson has been detained in state custody since his arrest on April 13, 2012, for first-degree possession of child pornography, obscenity, and promoting a minor in an obscene performance. On July 10, 2012, he was arrested on 22 additional state charges, including six counts of first-degree sexual assault, five counts of fourth-degree sexual assault, and 11 counts of risk of injury. The state charges are pending.

This matter was investigated by the Connecticut State Police Computer Crimes Unit, the Newtown Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.

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.justice.gov/psc.

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