Burlington Man Changes Plea In Child Porn Case

BURLINGTON, MA — A Burlington man who had once chaperoned public school field trips pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography in U.S. District Court last week after reaching a plea deal with federal prosecutors. In addition to facing up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced for the federal guilty plea, William Gates, 41, of Burlington, is still facing charges brought by the Middlesex District Attorney's office.

Some of the nearly 4,000 files found on Gates's computer and digital devices included photos he had taken while chaperoning his son's field trip from a Burlington elementary school. Burlington Police and school officials notified parents whose children had been depicted in the photos and put a no trespass order against Gates as soon as they became aware of the situation.

The federal charges came on top of a March 2018 indictment by a Middlesex County grand jury. According to federal court documents, Australian authorities notified U.S. law enforcement officials last November after seeing a user traced to Burlington post photos on a website, including photos of a six-year-old boy on a school bus. During a December interview, Gates told federal investigators he had taken some of the photographs while chaperoning a field trip to the zoo with his son's elementary school.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).