Beverly Man Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Charges

BOSTON – A Beverly man who sold child pornography and erotica was convicted today for mailing child pornography to a customer in Atlanta.

Stanton Hager, 67, pleaded guilty to mailing child pornography and possession of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Rya W. Zobel on April 9, 2014.

Hager operated a business selling child pornography and child erotica over the Internet. In April 2013, personnel at an Atlanta bank notified law enforcement that they received a package containing child pornography and child erotica. The package, which had been wrongly delivered to and opened by the bank, had been mailed by Hager and intended for a customer in Atlanta.

In May 2013, law enforcement obtained a search warrant of Hager’s Beverly residence where they found a collection of child pornography including videos of children and adult males engaging in sex. Also found at his residence were documents and records pertaining to Hager’s business of selling child pornography and erotica. His business webpage made reference to “boy love” as his specialty. The government indicated that after being advised of his rights by law enforcement, Hager stated that he knows child pornography is illegal, but that the government had no right to come into his home and take his pictures.

During today’s hearing, Judge Zobel inquired about releasing the defendant, who had been held in custody since his arrest, prior to sentencing. The government argued against release and informed the court that there is reason to believe that Hager has had sexual contact with children. Specifically, during the search of his residence law enforcement recovered Hager’s personal journal where he had written that he had had sexual contact with children during a stay in Thailand. The government further described that an entry in Hager’s journal described a sexual encounter with a boy in Thailand Hager believed was 11-years-old.

Hager was detained until sentencing. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Under federal law, he must serve at least five years in prison.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Kevin M. Niland, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Boston, made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by David Tobin of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.