Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
An Amherst, Massachusetts man was sentenced on Mar. 30 to four years in federal prison for possessing more than 100,000 files of child sexual abuse material. Daniel Tocci, age 31, received the sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni in Springfield and will also serve five years of supervised release.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to address the problem of child sexual exploitation and abuse online. Authorities say that large collections of illegal material such as those found in this case pose significant risks to children and communities.
According to court documents, Tocci pleaded guilty in September 2025 to possession of child pornography after a search at his Amherst residence in November 2023 uncovered over 100,000 images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of minors across multiple thumb drives and more than 10,000 additional files on his laptop. Some files depicted sadistic or masochistic conduct involving children or the sexual exploitation of toddlers.
Investigators also discovered extremely violent content on Tocci’s devices unrelated to CSAM, including graphic images involving animals and acts of violence against people. In addition, searches related to child sexual abuse were found on his laptop.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division announced the sentencing. The investigation received assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Amherst Police Department; Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006—designed to combat child exploitation by coordinating resources among federal, state, and local agencies.
