EMT From Salem Arrested for Child Pornography Offenses

BOSTON – An emergency medical technician (EMT) from Salem was arrested and charged today for allegedly receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Connor McAuliffe, 34, was charged with one count of receipt of child pornography and count of possession of child pornography. The defendant was arrested at his residence this morning and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, was ordered detained pending a hearing scheduled for Aug. 12, 2025.

According to the charging document, in January 2025, as a result of a collateral criminal investigation conducted by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Pretoria, South Africa in late 2023, McAuliffe was allegedly identified as an active member in a large-scale private encrypted messaging group dedicated to the trading of CSAM and comprised of over 1,000 members from around the world. Further investigation allegedly identified McAuliffe as a member in at least 14 other different large-scale chat groups on that one chat application dedicated to sharing CSAM.

It is alleged that McAuliffe’s cellphone was seized during a March 2025 search of his residence. A forensic review of the device allegedly revealed that McAuliffe was a member of approximately 100 chats on multiple messaging applications dedicated to sharing CSAM. The chats allegedly had titles such as “Boys Planet,” “Boys of Eden,” “boys video,” “10 to 16 years hot boys,” and “Chicos ninos y adolescentes cp” – which translates to “Boys, children and adolescents CP.” A subsequent review of the device’s media files allegedly revealed that McAuliffe had downloaded and stored approximately 1,500 images and 50 videos depicting CSAM. A number of the files allegedly depicted the rape, abuse or exploitation of minor boys who appeared to be approximately nine to 11 years old.

According to the charging document, McAuliffe currently holds an active paramedic certification with the Massachusetts Office of Health & Human Services and is employed by an emergency services company as an EMT.

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 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.

Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274 or contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Salem Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Maynard of the Major Crimes Unit 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.

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.