A Brighton man was arrested and charged with receiving child sexual abuse material, according to an April 2 announcement by federal authorities.
John Tapley, age 33, faces one count of receipt of child pornography. Authorities said Tapley was arrested at his home and appeared in federal court in Boston, where he was ordered detained until a hearing scheduled for April 6.
Charging documents allege that Tapley participated in 15 group chats on the Signal messenger application, many of which had names suggesting they were used to exchange illegal material. During a search of his residence, investigators reportedly found five files containing child sexual abuse material received through his Signal account. The victims depicted were estimated to be between seven and eleven years old.
If convicted, Tapley faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to twenty years in prison. He could also receive at least five years up to a lifetime of supervised release and face fines up to $250,000. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge following the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England announced the charges. The United States Postal Inspection Service and Boston Police Department assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child exploitation crimes nationwide. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Officials remind that all details provided are allegations and that Tapley is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.