Rockland Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Offenses

BOSTON – A Rockland man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Donald J. Caruso, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for March 8, 2024. Caruso was initially arrested and charged in November 2022 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2022.

In early November 2022, Caruso used an online communication platform to send an undercover agent multiple links to videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. On Nov. 7, 2022, a laptop hard drive was seized from Caruso’s residence and his cell phone was seized from Caruso’s person. Both devices were found to contain hundreds of images and over three thousand videos depicting CSAM. Additionally, during the search, Caruso admitted to sending and receiving child pornography using his cell phone and laptop.

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.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael J. Krol, 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 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.