East Bridgewater Man Arrested for Producing Child Pornography

BOSTON – An East Bridgewater man was arrested yesterday and charged in federal court in Boston with producing child pornography.

Daniel O’Connor Jr., 57, was charged with one count of production/attempted production of child pornography. He appeared in federal court yesterday and was ordered detained pending a detention and probable cause hearing scheduled for Monday, Sept. 17, 2018.

According to the criminal complaint unsealed yesterday, on June 7, 2018, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at the home of O’Connor Jr., where they located two iPhones belonging to the defendant. An onsite forensic review of one of the phones revealed images of child pornography.

It is alleged that further review of the phone revealed approximately 137 images and approximately 20 videos of child pornography. In addition, the phone contained multiple apps popular with minors, such as Kik Messenger. A review of O’Connor’s Kik app revealed chats between O’Connor and an 11-year-old girl during which O’Connor solicits and receives a number of images and videos depicting child pornography.

The charge of producing child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 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 on 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, Boston Field Division; and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suanne Sullivan Jacobus of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.