BOSTON — A Brighton man is in federal custody and accused of receiving child sexual abuse material on the Signal messenger app, the U.S. Attorney said.
John Tapley, 33, was charged with one count of receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement on Thursday. He was arrested at his home on Wednesday.
Tapley was ordered detained pending a hearing scheduled for April 6.
According to the charging documents, Tapley was identified as a member of 15 group chats on the Signal messenger application.
Many of these chats had group names that indicated the exchange of child sex abuse material, Foley said.
Prosecutors allege that during a search of Tapley’s home, five files containing child sex abuse material were found to have been received by Tapley on his Signal account.
The victims in these videos appeared to be between approximately 7 and 11 years old, Foley said.
For the charge of receipt of child pornography, Tapley faces a sentence of at least five years and 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.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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