Duxbury Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charge

BOSTON – A Duxbury man pleaded guilty today to a child pornography offense.

Louis Ackerman Jr., 46, pleaded guilty during a videoconference hearing to possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Sept. 21, 2020. Ackerman was arrested and charged in November 2019.

On Nov. 15, 2019, federal agents executed a federal search warrant at Ackerman Jr.’s home and located an iMac computer and two hard drives belonging to him. An onsite forensic review revealed images and videos of child pornography on that computer. From under Ackerman Jr.’s bed, agents also recovered DVDs and printed material, which depicted child pornography. Further review of the computer and other materials seized from the residence revealed approximately 295 videos of child pornography and approximately 322 images of child pornography, including prepubescent minors under the age of 12. 

The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz; Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Field Division; Barnstable Police Chief Matthew Sonnabend; and Duxbury Police Chief Stephen McDonald made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. 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/.