Rockland Man Charged with Child Pornography Offenses

BOSTON – A Rockland man has been arrested on child pornography charges.

Donald J. Caruso, 40, was charged with one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Caruso was arrested on Nov. 7, 2022 and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on Nov. 8, 2022 before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Paul G. Levenson, was detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for Nov. 17, 2022.

According to the charging documents, a federal investigation determined that the user of an account on an online communication platform was distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The user – who was later identified as Caruso – allegedly disseminated links to an undercover agent to folders containing CSAM. It is alleged that a preliminary forensic analysis of devices seized from Caruso’s residence on Nov. 4, 2022 revealed that they contained CSAM.

The charge of distribution of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, a mandatory minimum of five years and up to a lifetime 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, a mandatory minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $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; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigation’s in New England; Rockland Chief of Police Nicholas Zeoli; and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Rollins’ 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.