CONCORD – Jason Ellis, 45, of Derry was indicted by a federal grand jury on Monday and charged with one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography, United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
Ellis was arrested on a criminal complaint on February 16, 2022, and is being detained pending trial. The original complaint filed in court alleges that on February 12, 2021, Ellis engaged in sexually graphic online chats with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 13-year-old girl. During those chats, Ellis sent an image of an erect penis to the officer. In another online chat in January of 2022, Ellis sent to the undercover officer an image of a nude, prepubescent female child engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The charges in the indictment are only allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Derry Police Department.
In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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