A Hyde Park man was arrested and charged on April 23 with possessing child sexual abuse materials, according to an announcement by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley.
Nicholas J. McDonagh, age 25, faces one count of possession of child pornography and remains in federal custody pending further court proceedings. Authorities allege that McDonagh sent sexually explicit messages, photos, and videos to a 12-year-old girl in Delaware via Snapchat between January and March 2025. Investigators from the Delaware State Police identified him as a suspect in June 2025.
During searches at McDonagh’s residence on August 6, 2025, law enforcement seized several cellphones allegedly containing about two dozen video files depicting child sexual abuse material. Some videos reportedly showed girls appearing younger than twelve years old. One device also allegedly held Snapchat messages exchanged with the minor victim from Delaware. That same day, state authorities arrested McDonagh and later released him on bail under pretrial conditions including GPS monitoring and internet restrictions.
Members of the public who have questions or information regarding this case are encouraged to contact authorities at the phone number or email provided by prosecutors. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to twenty years in prison along with supervised release and fines; sentencing will be determined by a federal judge based on applicable guidelines.
Foley said: “United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael A. Cox made the announcement today.” Valuable assistance came from Delaware State Police while Assistant U.S. Attorney John Potapchuk is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006—to address child exploitation through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies aimed at identifying offenders as well as victims (more details can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc).
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts advances community initiatives focused on civil rights protection and violence prevention according to its official website. The office maintains facilities at the John Joseph Moakley United States Federal Courthouse in Boston along with branches in Springfield and Worcester according to its official website. It is part of the United States Department of Justice according to its official website.
More than two hundred attorneys, paralegals, and professional staff work for this office according to its official website. The office enforces federal laws through prosecutions covering crimes such as national security threats or civil rights violations according to its official website, serving all residents across Massachusetts according to its official website.
It handles both criminal prosecutions under federal law as well as civil litigation involving government interests statewide; it traces its origins back to one of America’s earliest such offices established in 1789 according to its official website.