Billerica Man Sent Behind Bars For Child Porn Charges

BILLERICA, MA — A Billerica man will spend time in prison after admitting to disturbing and possessing child pornography.

Brian Ashley, 38, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Boston to six years in prison and six years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $15,000 to two of the victims identified in his child pornography collection, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Upon his release from prison, Ashley must register as a sex offender.

In March 2017, Ashley pleaded guilty to one count of distribution and one count of possession of child pornography.

In February 2016, federal agents in Montana assumed the identity of an individual who was using an instant messaging app to send and receive child pornography to other users. As part of the investigation, agents identified Brian Ashley as one of the individuals using the app to trade child pornography. Ashley, using a screen name that hid his identity, distributed several images and videos of child pornography to the undercover agents, who subsequently traced his illicit online activity to his home and work addresses in Massachusetts. Agents executed a search warrant at Ashley’s Billerica home, where they seized his cell phone.

A forensic review of the cell phone revealed hundreds of images and videos of child pornography and evidence that he had exchanged the material with other users of the instant messaging app.

Information from the U.S. Attorney's office was used in this article.

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