Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison for Child Pornography Charges

            WASHINGTON – Simeon P. Stefanidakis, 60, formerly of Brookline, Mass., was sentenced today to 84 months in prison and five years of supervised release following his prison term for child pornography offenses, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer for the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Carmen M. Ortiz and Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Field Office.

Stefanidakis was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young in the District of Massachusetts. On Nov. 10, 2010, Stefanidakis pleaded guilty to four counts of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Stefanidakis possessed thousands of images and videos of child pornography that included depictions of prepubescent minors and sadistic conduct. This case arose from an investigation by the Suffolk County, N.Y., Police Department of individuals sharing and trading child pornography over the Internet.

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 via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov .

The case against Stefanidakis 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. The case was investigated by the FBI and the Suffolk County Police Department. Significant assistance was provided by the Brookline Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.