Brian Hargraves, a 55-year-old resident of Albany, pleaded guilty on May 12 to charges of possession of and access with intent to view child pornography and obstruction of justice, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Hampshire. Court documents show that Hargraves posed as a teenage boy online in order to obtain child sexual abuse material from a minor victim. After law enforcement seized his devices and searched his home, he contacted the victim and asked her not to testify against him.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to combat online exploitation of minors. Law enforcement arrested Hargraves in May 2025, and he has been detained since then. On April 29, 2025, investigators searched Hargraves’ mobile phones following a citizen complaint and found sexually explicit images and videos involving a 16-year-old girl. Evidence indicated that Hargraves was also communicating with other minors while pretending to be a teenager.
"Brian Hargraves used the internet to take advantage of vulnerable minors," U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan said. "Thanks to our law enforcement partners, his predatory and deceptive conduct was stopped and he will serve a significant prison sentence." Ted Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, said: "Brian Hargraves posed as a teenage boy to manipulate an underage girl into sharing explicit images of herself and then tried to get her to obstruct our investigation. No child should have to endure this kind of abuse. The FBI is gratified to bring him to justice and is working aggressively every day to put predators like this behind bars. We’re determined to prevent them from creating any more victims and doing any more harm."
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation with assistance from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department and Conway Police Department; Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Vicinanzo is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 aimed at protecting children from exploitation through coordinated federal, state, and local resources for locating offenders as well as identifying victims.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Hampshire prosecutes federal crimes including cases involving child exploitation; it operates under direction from the United States Attorney General; manages civil cases involving government interests; maintains an office in Concord; builds alliances with law enforcement agencies at all levels; defends lawsuits against the United States; collects debts owed federally; enhances community well-being by enforcing laws while safeguarding residents—and serves through representation in federal court proceedings—according to its official website.
