Stamford Man Charged With Possession Of Child Pornography And Destruction Of Evidence: Officials

STAMFORD, CT — A Stamford man was indicted this week and charged with child exploitation and destruction of evidence offenses, according to an announcement from David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England.

A grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging Adam Wolfe, 27, with one count of receipt of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison and a maximum term of 20 years; one count of possession of child pornography, an offense that carries a maximum term of 20 years; and one count of destruction, alteration, or falsification of records, which carries a maximum prison term of 20 years.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in November 2023, HSI and Ridgefield police began investigating Wolfe and possible possession of child sex abuse material, officials said in an announcement Wednesday.

On Nov. 22, 2023, investigators interviewed Wolfe at his former home in Ridgefield and Wolfe gave consent for a search of his iPhone and laptop, officials noted.

A forensic analysis of the laptop revealed thousands of individual child sex abuse images that were recovered from the "recycle bin" of the laptop, officials said, noting the analysis of the iPhone found that Wolfe had deleted a TOR browser, which is often used to access child pornography on the dark web.

Wolfe was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on Sept. 30, 2024. He has been released on a $50,000 bond since, and his arraignment has not yet been scheduled.

Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation is being conducted by HSI, Ridgefield police, and the Watertown Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Gordon through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found here. To report cases of child exploitation, visit www.cybertipline.