Worcester Man Sentenced for Child Pornography Offenses

Defendant has prior convictions for rape of a child, indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, and a child pornography offense

BOSTON – A Worcester man was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for possession of child pornography.

Michael Chapman, 63, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to 126 months in prison and seven years of supervised release. In September 2019, Chapman pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography.

On July 2 and 3, 2017, Chapman uploaded images depicting child pornography using his Skype account. He also possessed child pornography on Oct. 6, 2017, on his computer, which agents seized during the execution of a search warrant. Chapman is a registered Level 3 sex offender due to multiple prior convictions. In 2004, he was convicted of two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and three counts of obscene material; in 1994, he was convicted of transporting in interstate commerce a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct; and, in 1984, he was convicted of rape of a child and four counts of lewd and lascivious acts.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Jason Molina, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, Boston Field Division; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle L. Dineen Jerrett of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office prosecuted 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/.