Massachusetts Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Child Pornography Charges

WASHINGTON – Timothy S. Kelly, 40, of North Attleboro, Mass., was sentenced today to five years in prison and five years of supervised release following his prison term for receipt and possession of child pornography, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Carmen M. Ortiz and Bruce M. Foucart, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Boston.

Kelly was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns in Boston. On Feb. 23, 2011, Kelly pleaded guilty to four counts of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. In pleading guilty, Kelly admitted to using an online chat program to communicate with and transmit pictures to others in real time. In these chats, Kelly received images of child pornography and discussed his sexual interest in girls between the ages of 8 and 13 years old. During the execution of a federal search warrant at his residence, Kelly admitted to collecting and trading child pornography since 2003. The images he received and possessed included depictions of prepubescent children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Kelly previously was employed as a swim coach for the Attleboro YMCA and North Attleboro High School.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael I. Yoon of the District of Massachusetts and CEOS Trial Attorney Bonnie L. Kane of the Criminal Division, in coordination with the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office. The case against Kelly was investigated by ICE HSI with the North Attleboro Police Department providing significant assistance.