'A Predatory Danger': Marlborough Man Gets Near Life Sentence In Child Sex Case

MARLBOROUGH, MA — A Marlborough man and former cryptocurrency guru will likely spend the rest of his life in federal prison over charges that he sexually exploited more than a dozen children.

A federal judge Wednesday sentenced Philip Raymond, 65, to 60 years in prison on child sex abuse charges. Prosecutors say Raymond filmed the abuse of two children, and tried to make child porn with up to 11 juveniles.

Raymond, a bitcoin expert and former chair of the Cryptocurrency Standards Association, was arrested in October 2020 at his Marlborough home. He was charged with 13 counts of sexual exploitation of minors and attempting to manufacture child porn, according to prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to those charges in March.

But Raymond had been under scrutiny long before his arrest. Police raided his home in 2019 and recovered digital devices that prosecutors say contained child porn. Raymond produced pornography between 2004 and 2012 with children who were friends of his own children, prosecutors said.

In some cases, Raymond attempted to produce child porn by setting up hidden cameras in his bathroom and his child's room.

"He grossly took advantage of the trust placed in him by his victims and their families to inflict indescribable trauma and suffering," U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a news release."Raymond’s reprehensible conduct is a parent’s worst nightmare. He is a predatory danger to society who will now spend 60 years behind bars where he can no longer harm children."

If Raymond ever leaves federal prison, he will be subject to up to five years of supervised release. Raymond is also facing separate child sexual abuse charges in Middlesex County Superior court.