Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A federal grand jury in Boston has indicted Ralph Hannan III, 68, of North Reading, on one count of possession of child pornography. Hannan is identified as a Level 2 sex offender.
Prosecutors allege that Hannan possessed material involving the sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 12. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, with at least five years and potentially up to a lifetime of supervised release. Fines can reach $250,000. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge according to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Zacks from the Major Crimes Unit is handling the prosecution.
"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 can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Authorities emphasized that all details in charging documents are allegations and that "the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."
