Friday, September 17, 2010

Former high school swim coach indicted on child pornography charges

BOSTON - A Boston man was charged in federal court with receipt and possession of child pornography following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

U. S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz, ICE HSI Special Agent in Charge Bruce M. Foucart and North Attleboro, Mass., Police Chief Michael P. Gould, Sr. announced on Thursday that Timothy S. Kelly, 39, of North Attleboro, was charged in a four-count indictment with receiving child pornography and possession of child pornography.

The indictment alleges that on Dec. 23, 2006, Kelly knowingly received visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and on June 22, 2009, knowingly possessed visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Kelly had previously been employed as a swim coach for the Attleboro YMCA and North Attleboro High School.

If convicted, Kelly faces up to 20 years imprisonment for each count of receipt of child pornography and up to 10 years imprisonment for possession of child pornography, to be followed by up to lifetime years of supervised release and up to a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by ICE HSI and the North Attleboro Police Department, with assistance from the Bristol County District Attorney's Office.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers. Since Operation Predator was launched in July 2003, ICE agents have arrested more than 12,800 individuals.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.

-- ICE --

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