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A New Salem man was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Springfield for possessing child pornography.
Nicholas Conkey, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 12 years in prison and five years of supervised release. On Nov. 9, 2021, Conkey pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.
On Jan. 18, 2019, Conkey possessed 42 images and one video of child pornography on his phone. These images and video depicted prepubescent children engaged in sex acts or the lascivious display of their genitalia. Conkey also possessed child pornography images in his online email account.
Conkey has a previous military conviction for possession and distribution of child pornography.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine G. Curley of Rollins’ 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 U.S. Attorneys’ offices and 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 via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
