Concord Ledger

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Hampshire issued the following announcement on Jan. 16.

Phillip R. Andrews, 80, of Gilford, pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday, to transportation of child pornography, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on or before June 13, 2016, Andrews used his cellular phone to produce sexually explicit images of a child under eighteen years of age.  These images were uploaded onto his social media accounts using the internet.

Andrews is scheduled to be sentenced on April 28, 2020.

“Protecting the innocence of children is a top priority for federal law enforcement agencies,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “Those who create, transport or distribute child pornography do grave harm to the victims who are portrayed in these images.  In order to safeguard our young people, we work closely with HSI and all of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute child exploitation and child pornography crimes.”

“The conduct of Mr. Andrews will never be tolerated in any way, shape or form.  The protection of innocent minors will always be an investigative priority of HSI. Investigations like this are a prime example of our public safety mission,” said, Jason Molina, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Boston.   “HSI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to stand up for the victims who are subjected to unacceptable abuse with each and every downloaded image.”  

This matter was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Gilford Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cam Le.

In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Original source can be found here.