Arlington Man Indicted on Child Pornography Charges

BOSTON – Derrick Jones, 44, of Arlington, was indicted today for receipt and possession of child pornography.  He is currently being held without bail.  On May 18, 2015, Jones had been charged by criminal complaint.

The charging documents allege that, among other things, Jones utilized file sharing computer programs to trade and receive images of child pornography and also that he downloaded and viewed images and videos of children ranging in age from infants to minors under the age of 18, being sexually exploited.  Over 44,000 images of children being sexually exploited were recovered from Jones’ computer. Jones was previously convicted of two counts of Possession of Child Pornography in October 2005.

The charge of receipt of child pornography provides a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and no greater than 40 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.  The charge of possession of child pornography provides a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and no greater than 20 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Michael Shea, Deputy Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Arlington Chief of Police Frederick Ryan, made the announcement today.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Ortiz's Major Crimes Unit.

Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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 better 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/.