Worcester Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Offenses

BOSTON – A Worcester man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Worcester to possession of child pornography. 

Michael Chapman, 62, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for Dec. 19, 2019. Chapman was charged by criminal complaint in March 2019.

On July 2 and 3, 2017, Chapman uploaded images depicting child pornography using his Skype account. He also possessed child pornography on Oct. 6, 2017, on his computer, which agents seized during the execution of a search warrant. Chapman is a registered Level 3 sex offender due to multiple prior convictions. In 2004, he was convicted of two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and three counts of obscene material; in 1994, he was convicted of transporting in interstate commerce a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct; and, in 1984, he was convicted of rape of a child and four counts of lewd and lascivious acts.

The charge provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Due to prior convictions, Chapman faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Jason Molina, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, Boston Field Division; Massachusetts State Police Superintendent Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin; and Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle L. Dineen Jerrett of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office 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/.