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A Narraganset School District high school math teacher was arrested and charged yesterday in federal court in Boston with receipt and possession of child pornography.
Warren Anderson, 26, of Lowell and Harvard, was charged with one count each of receipt and possession of child pornography. Anderson appeared before Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell yesterday afternoon and was ordered detained pending a probable cause and detention hearing on Monday, August 27th.
According to court records, law enforcement interviewed Anderson as part of an ongoing investigation into the online trade of child pornography through the use of Kik messenger. Anderson admitted to accessing websites on the dark web to obtain child pornography.
A preliminary on-scene forensic analysis by federal agents revealed the presence of child pornography including a video of an adult male repeatedly sexually assaulting a naked four-year-old girl, and an image of a child between the ages of three-and-five-years old – with visible tears in her eyes – being sexually assaulted by an adult male.
The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison. Both charges also provide for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 fine. 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 and Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, made the announcement today. Assistance was provided by the Harvard and Templeton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Lelling’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.
Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274.
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/.
