A Brighton man, John Tapley, was arrested and charged on April 2 with receiving child sexual abuse material.
Tapley, age 33, faces one count of receipt of child pornography. He was taken into custody at his home and appeared in federal court in Boston. Tapley has been ordered detained until a hearing scheduled for April 6.
Charging documents allege that Tapley participated in 15 group chats on the Signal messenger application, many of which had names suggesting the exchange of child sexual abuse material. During a search of his residence, authorities reportedly found five files containing such material received through his Signal account. The victims depicted in these videos are said to be between seven and eleven years old.
If convicted, Tapley could face a sentence ranging from five to twenty years in prison, at least five years up to lifetime supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge according to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England announced the charges. The United States Postal Inspection Service and Boston Police Department provided assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child exploitation crimes nationwide. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Authorities remind that all details contained within charging documents are allegations; Tapley is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
