New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
“An Ohio man has been arrested in connection with possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Thiago da Silva Pinheiro, 42, of Cincinnati, Ohio was charged with one count of possession of child pornography. Following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston today before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Paul G. Levenson, Pinheiro was detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for Sept. 22, 2022.
According to the charging documents, on Sept. 20, 2022, Pinheiro flew from Ontario, Canada to Boston with an ultimate destination of Brazil. During a screening by Customs and Border Protection at Logan Airport, customs officers observed apparent child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on Pinheiro’s tablet. It is alleged that a preliminary review of the tablet revealed approximately 2,800 videos and images depicting apparent CSAM, some of which depicted children as young as two to four years old.
The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $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.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan C. Cleary of Rollins’ 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.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” -Massachusetts Department of Justice.
