Chicopee Man Indicted on Child Pornography Charges

BOSTON – A Chicopee man was charged yesterday in federal court in Springfield with child pornography offenses.

Herve Plasse, 65, was charged in an indictment with one count each of receipt and possession of child pornography. The indictment alleges that Plasse received and possessed child pornography during 2015.

The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of 10 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Joseph Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex J. Grant of Lelling’s Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

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

The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.