Springfield Man Sentenced for Child Pornography Offenses

BOSTON – A Springfield man was sentenced today in federal court in Springfield for child pornography offenses.

Ross Lopata, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to five years in prison and five years of supervised release. On June 21, 2021, Lopata pleaded guilty to four counts of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

Lopata received and possessed child pornography on various dates between Dec. 17, 2018 and June 11, 2020 by downloading image and video files from the internet that depicted prepubescent children engaged in sex acts.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex J. Grant of Mendell’s Springfield Branch Office prosecuted 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.