Greenfield man indicted for possessing child pornography

BOSTON - A Greenfield, Mass., man was charged today in federal court with possessing computer equipment containing child pornography following an investigation led by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Carmen M. Ortiz, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Bruce M. Foucart, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Boston and David Guilbault, chief of the Greenfield Police Department, announced today that Louis Kevin Wieprecht, 56, of Greenfield, was charged in an indictment with one count of possession of material involving the sexual exploitation of a minor.

The indictment alleges that on Oct. 5, 2010, Wieprecht possessed a computer and computer equipment that contained various digital files that contained depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

If convicted on these charges, Wieprecht faces up to 10 years imprisonment, to be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by ICE HSI in Boston and the Greenfield Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of Ortiz's Springfield Branch Office.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com/.