Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Hartford Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that HECTOR MATEO, 33, of Flatbush Avenue, Hartford, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for possessing child pornography.

According to court documents and statements made in court, MATEO used a peer-to-peer Internet file-sharing program to receive and possess images of child pornography. On July 9, 2009, agents assigned to the FBI’s Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force conducted a court-authorized search of MATEO’s residence and seized his computer. Subsequent forensic analysis of the computer revealed hundreds of images and videos of child pornography, including images of children under the age of 12 engaged in acts of bondage and bestiality.

On February 22, 2011, MATEO pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.

Following his release from prison, MATEO will be required to register as a sex offender. As special conditions of his five-year term of supervised release, the United States Probation Office is authorized to monitor MATEO’s computer use and conduct searches of his residence, automobile, and workplace based on reasonable suspicion. The U.S. Probation Office also will notify MATEO’s future employers of this conviction.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force, which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Michael J. Gustafson.

The Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force investigates crimes occurring over the Internet, including computer intrusion, Internet fraud, copyright violations, Internet threats and harassment, and online crimes against children. The task force also provides computer forensic review services for participating agencies. The task force is housed in the main FBI office in New Haven, Connecticut. For more information about the task force, please contact the FBI at 203-777-6311

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, and the District of Connecticut’s “Operation Constant Vigilance,” which are aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

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