Source: Office of United States Attorneys
BOSTON – A Leominster man has been arrested and charged for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) following a federal search warrant executed at his home.
Brian Cook, 36, was charged with one count of possession of child pornography. Cook was arrested yesterday and was ordered detained pending a 2:30 p.m. hearing today in federal court in Worcester.
According to the charging document, during a search of Cook’s residence yesterday, an on-site review of his computer and hard drives allegedly revealed several videos depicting CSAM. Numerous electronic devices including laptops, hard drives and various other electronic storage media were seized for further forensic review.
Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274.
The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance provided the Leominster and Westford Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danial E. Bennett of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.