BOSTON, MA – A Dennis Port man pleaded guilty yesterday to charges of receipt and possession of child pornography.
Sean Gleason, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Dec. 18, 2020. On Sept. 10, 2019, Gleason was arrested and charged by criminal complaint and has been in custody since.
Following an investigation into the use of a messaging application in the exchange of child pornography, a federal search warrant executed on Sept. 10, 2019 at a residence in Dennis Port revealed hundreds of images of child pornography on Gleason’s cell phone. A full forensic review of the phone revealed at least 498 images and at least one video of child pornography. The cache of child pornography included images depicting the abuse of infants, toddlers and prepubescent minors.
The charges of receipt and possession of child pornography each carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, and the charge of receipt of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. Both charges provide for a mandatory 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 and Michael Shea, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam W. Deitch 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.
