Benjamin Shacar, a 39-year-old resident of Pittsfield, pleaded guilty on Mar. 19 in federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts to multiple counts related to child sexual abuse material.
Shacar admitted guilt to ten counts of receipt and one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled his sentencing for June 22. Shacar was initially charged by criminal complaint in March 2021.
According to charging documents, between August 2020 and March 2021, Shacar received and possessed materials depicting the sexual abuse of children. Authorities reported that during a search of his residence, law enforcement found a thumb drive and laptop containing several files with such material. During an interview at the scene, Shacar acknowledged viewing and downloading this content from the internet.
The charge of receipt of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to twenty years in prison, while possession carries up to ten years. Both offenses may also result in supervised release ranging from five years to life and fines reaching $250,000 per count. Sentences will be determined by the federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child exploitation through coordination among federal, state, and local agencies.
