Randolph Man Charged with Child Pornography Offenses

BOSTON – A Randolph man was arrested and charged yesterday in federal court in Boston with distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography.

Michael Lee, 51, was charged with two counts of distribution of child pornography, two counts of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. Lee appeared before Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell, who ordered Lee detained pending a probable cause and detention hearing scheduled for Dec. 18, 2017.

According to court records, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Lee’s Randolph home as part of an ongoing investigation into the online trade of child pornography through the use of Kik messenger.  During the search, Lee admitted to trading images and videos of child pornography with other Kik users, including a New Hampshire man who provided Lee with images and videos documenting the sexual abuse of the man’s eight-year-old daughter.  Preliminary on-scene forensic analysis of Lee’s cell phone confirmed his admissions. 

Possession of child pornography carries a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison; the charges of distribution and receipt of child pornography carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison. All three charges provide for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 fine.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Office, made the announcement today.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Weinreb’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.

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 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/.