Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A Brazilian national living in Milford has been arrested and charged in federal court in Worcester for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Joao Carlos Tavares Da Silva, 21, faces a charge of possession of child pornography and was detained following his initial appearance in court.
According to the charging documents, Tavares Da Silva is a citizen of Brazil and is wanted in Brazil on an outstanding warrant for statutory rape; production, reproduction, direction, recording or filming of explicit sexual acts or pornography involving children or adolescents; and selling or offering for sale photographs, videos, or other recordings depicting such acts. Authorities seized multiple electronic devices from his Milford residence. The criminal complaint affidavit states that images containing CSAM were found on one device and appeared to involve an alleged victim in Brazil.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, supervised release for life, and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley stated: "United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today." She also acknowledged assistance from the Milford Police Department and Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen M. Noto is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to protect children from exploitation and abuse by coordinating efforts among federal, state, and local agencies to investigate and prosecute offenders as well as identify victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov/Links to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..
Authorities remind that all details contained in the charging document are allegations; Tavares Da Silva is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
