Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Charge

WASHINGTON – William F. Murphy, 51, of West Roxbury, Mass., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release for a child pornography offense, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Carmen M. Ortiz and Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Field Office.

Murphy was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf in the District of Massachusetts.   On Aug. 13, 2010, Murphy pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly accessing child pornography with intent to view.   This case arose from an FBI investigation of Murphy’s use of online peer-to-peer software to access and view visual depictions of minor females engaging in sexually explicit conduct.   These images included depictions of prepubescent girls, and sadistic and masochistic conduct.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.   Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.   For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case against Murphy was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael I. Yoon of the District of Massachusetts and CEOS Trial Attorney Bonnie L. Kane of the Criminal Division.   The case was investigated by the FBI.