BOSTON – A Spencer man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Worcester for possession of child pornography.
Joseph Michael Smith, 59, was indicted on one count of possession of child pornography. Smith will appear before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy tomorrow, March 4, 2022, at 1 p.m. in federal court in Worcester.
According to court documents, investigators received several tips that child pornography was shared from messenger accounts tied to Smith’s address. During a search of Smith’s residence on Nov. 10, 2021, a USB drive was seized. Smith also informed agents that child pornography was located on a black laptop in his basement. A forensic analysis of the USB drive allegedly revealed 35 videos depicting children as young as two-years-old being sexually abused.
The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least 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 on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, Boston Field Division; and Spencer Police Chief David Darrin made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Noto of Rollins’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
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.