Tolland Resident Arrested on Federal Child Pornography Charge

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 CARL G. KOPLIN, 52, of Candlewood Drive, Tolland, was arrested today by members of the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force on a federal criminal complaint charging KOPLIN with receipt and distribution of child pornography.

According to allegations contained in court documents and statements made in court, between September 2009 and May 2010, a special agent with the Northern Virginia Resident Agency of the Washington Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation used the Internet to launch a publicly available peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing program. Using the P2P program, the undercover agent downloaded approximately 300 images and videos of child pornography from the shared directories of a user with an Internet Protocol (IP) address that was subsequently identified as belonging to a subscriber at KOPLIN’s Candlewood Drive residence.

KOPLIN is currently employed as a family practice physician in Vernon.

Following his arrest, KOPLIN appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Thomas P. Smith in Hartford. The government’s motion for pretrial detention was denied, and KOPLIN was released on a bond in the amount of $500,000 and the following special conditions: Electronic monitoring and home confinement, except while he is at work; that he have no contact with patients under the age of 18; that he have no contact with the Boy Scouts of America, with which he has been affiliated; and that he have no computers in his home.

If convicted of the charge of receipt and distribution of child pornography, KOPLIN 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.

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 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.