BOSTON – An Arlington man was sentenced on July 28, 2022 in federal court in Boston for possession of child pornography.
Mason Lister, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release. On Dec. 16, 2021, Lister pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.
“My office has a responsibility to ensure the safety of our communities, especially that of our most vulnerable – children. Mr. Lister is a recidivist offender, a three-time convicted felon, who will now thankfully remain out of our communities and away from our children for the next decade,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “With the full support of our state, local and tribal law enforcement partners, we remain committed to protecting our children and prosecuting those who seek to exploit them.”
“Lister is a repeat offender, having already been convicted twice for child pornography related offenses. This ten year sentence will deny Lister the opportunity to further victimize innocent children through his online conduct and demonstrates our resolve to hold repeat offenders responsible to the full extent of the law,” said Matthew Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New England.
This case arose from a notice to law enforcement that a social media account belonging to Lister had been used to distribute child pornography. On July 23, 2020, a search of Lister’s residence resulted in the seizure of a tablet device containing at least 85 files of child pornography. The mix of files were both images and videos and depicted victims as young as toddler age. Lister was subsequently arrested on Aug. 14, 2020, and has remained in federal custody since. Lister has two previous state convictions for child pornography offenses.
U.S. Attorney Rollins and HSI SAC Millhollin made the announcement today. Assistance in the investigation was provided by the Arlington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
The case was 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/.