Chicopee Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

BOSTON – A Chicopee man pleaded guilty today in Springfield to receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Thomas Stemmer, 60, pleaded guilty to one count each of receipt and possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for May 15, 2023. Stemmer was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2019.

In 2015, Stemmer received and possessed CSAM, including images and videos, which he downloaded using an encrypted network. The CSAM included prepubescent minors who had not attained 12 years of age. 

The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography involving an image of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine G. Curley of Rollins’ Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. 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 locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.