Police say thousands of child sexual abuse images found on Provincetown man's cell phone
A 63-year-old Provincetown man was arrested on Thursday after thousands of images and videos of child sexual abuse material were discovered on his cell phone, according to the federal Department of Justice.
Laurence Pagnoni was charged with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. After appearing in federal court in Boston, he was released with conditions, including home detention with electronic monitoring, said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy's office in a statement.
Pagnoni's attorney, Nat Carney, declined comment.
In March 2023, a person arrested in a child exploitation sting reported to law enforcement that Pagnoni allegedly shared child sexual abuse images with him through the online storage platform Mega, according to the statement.
It is alleged that Pagnoni sent thousands of files to this individual, according to the statement.
Pagnoni's Provincetown home was searched in May 2023 and a number of items including his cell phone were seized. His cell phone was allegedly found to contain thousands of child sexual abuse images, including at least 51 known series identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse, according to the statement. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, the project uses federal, state and local resources to find and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as find and rescue victims.
For one charge of distribution of child pornography, Pagnoni faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the statement.
Zane Razzaq writes about housing and real estate. Reach her at zrazzaq@capecodonline.com. Follow her on X @zanerazz.
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Provincetown man faces charge of possessing child sexual abuse images
