A Provincetown resident, Laurence Pagnoni, 65, pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to charges related to child pornography. The plea was entered before U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young, who scheduled sentencing for May 12, 2026.
Pagnoni admitted to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. He was arrested and charged in April 2024 after an investigation revealed that he distributed thousands of files containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) through the cloud storage platform Mega in March 2023.
Authorities began investigating Pagnoni after another individual involved in a child exploitation sting informed law enforcement about receiving CSAM from him. A search conducted at Pagnoni’s home in Provincetown in May 2023 led to the seizure of several items, including his cellphone. Analysis of the device uncovered several thousand images and videos depicting CSAM, including at least 51 known series identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The charge of distribution of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, with at least three years of supervised release and a fine that can reach $250,000. The possession charge allows for up to 20 years’ imprisonment under similar conditions. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge according to U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox announced the plea today. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office provided assistance during the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm is prosecuting the case.
“This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice,” officials stated. “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.” More information about Project Safe Childhood is available at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Members of the public with questions or information regarding this case are encouraged to call 617-748-3274.