New Hampshire Police Officer Arrested and Charged with Child Pornography Offense

BOSTON – A Police Officer for the Town of Seabrook, N.H., was arrested today for allegedly receiving child sexual abuse material.

John Giarrusso, 49, of Haverhill, Mass., was charged with one count of receipt of child pornography. Giarrusso was arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in Boston at 2 p.m. today.

According to the charging documents, on or about Oct. 16, 2024 through Oct. 17, 2024 Giarrusso knowingly received video files depicting child sexual abuse on Kik. It is alleged that the victims in these videos appeared to be between approximately five to 11 years old.

Last month, Giarrusso was charged by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts with possession of child pornography and distribution of graphic sexual images to a minor. He is currently on bail for the state charges.

The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime 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 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 Haverhill Police Department and Essex County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Soto 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.