Chicopee Man Charged with Receiving Child Pornography

BOSTON – Victor Stepus, 47, of Chicopee, was charged on Friday, Aug. 21, 2015 in U.S. District Court in Springfield with one count of receipt of material involving the sexual exploitation of children.

On the morning of Aug. 21, 2015, federal agents executed a search warrant at Stepus’s residence where they seized a personal computer that contained over 8,000 images and 33 videos of child pornography.  These included images that depicted the sexual abuse, including bondage, of girls as young as eight years old.

During an interview with federal agents, Stepus stated that for the past several years he used his home computer to access and download child pornography two to three times per week while his wife was at work.  Stepus admitted that he is sexually attracted to 12 to 15 year old girls.

The charging statute provides a minimum mandatory sentence of five 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 and Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of Ortiz's Springfield Branch Office.

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

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/.    

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