BOSTON, MASSACHUSETS – A Quincy man was arrested on May 3, 2021 and charged with receipt of child pornography.
Andre Tilahun, 27, was charged in a criminal complaint with one count of receipt of child pornography. Following an initial appearance yesterday, Tilahun was detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for May 7, 2021.
According to the charging documents, in April 2021, investigators executed a search warrant at Tilahun’s home and seized a laptop belonging to Tilahun. A forensic examination of the laptop revealed that Tilahun received images depicting child pornography on the Kik Messenger platform. It is also alleged that Tilahun participated in a Kik chatroom where participants shared child pornography.
The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, five years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and William S. Walker, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Quincy Police Department and Weymouth Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Saltzman of Mendell’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 identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
The details contained in the complaint are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.