Northborough Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography

Files included the sexual abuse of a child approximately 6-to-8-years-old

BOSTON – A Northborough man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to possession of child pornography.

Joshua Lundberg, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for July 23, 2018.

In May 2016, law enforcement began an investigation of peer-to-peer file sharing networks used to share and obtain child pornography. On May 15, 2016, a member of law enforcement reviewing available public files on one such peer-to-peer network located several files he suspected to contain child pornography and was able to partially download one of the files. Law enforcement then traced the IP address used to share the partially downloaded video to Lundberg’s residence.

On June 6, 2016, a search warrant was executed at Lundberg’s home in Northborough where a laptop that was hidden on top of the kitchen cabinets in a tight space against the ceiling was seized. Forensic analysis of that computer revealed the presence of the peer-to-peer file sharing program that had been used to share the partially downloaded video along with dozens of digital files containing child pornography, one of which depicted a child between the ages of six and eight-years-old being raped by an adult male.

At the time of Lundberg’s arrest, he was on probation for a 2012 conviction in Worcester Superior Court for charges relating to the possession and dissemination of child pornography.

Lundberg is pleading guilty pursuant to a plea agreement in which both parties will recommend a sentence of 10 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release.

Because of the prior conviction, the charging statute provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and no greater than 20 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Grady of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.