Registered Sex Offender Arrested and Charged With Possession of Child Pornography

BOSTON – A Boston man, who is a Level 3 sex offender, has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography.

Bryan Horgan, 58, was charged with possession of child pornography. Horgan made his initial appearance in federal court in Boston yesterday following his arrest and agreed to voluntary detention.

According to the charging documents, Horgan was identified as the owner of a Microsoft account uploading child pornography. During a search of Horgan’s residence, it is alleged that one of his electronic devices contained several video files of child pornography depicting children as young as infants. It is further alleged that another device contained filenames with words and phrases indicative of child pornography. 

Horgan was previously convicted in the Suffolk Superior Court of rape of a child, assault to rape a child, indecent assault and battery on a child, disseminating obscene material to a minor, and possession of child pornography.  

The charge of possession of child pornography as a person with a prior conviction under Mass. state law relating to sexual abuse of a minor provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, five years to life 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.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston Police Department. 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 documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.