Google Tip About Child Porn Led To Charges Against Upton Man

WORCESTER, MA — An Upton man was sentenced to nearly two years in federal prison at federal court in Worcester last week following his 2021 arrest on child porn charges.

Matthew Stefanelli, 32, was arrested after federal authorities searched phones found in his home and found multiple images of child pornography, according to court documents.

A Department of Homeland Security agent based in Boston began investigating the images after Google forwarded a tip to the nonprofit National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in October 2020. The nonprofit accepts tips from corporations about child porn on the internet, and forwards those tips to law enforcement.

In January, Homeland Security agents served a warrant at Stefanelli's Church Street apartment, which he shared with a girlfriend and her two children, according to court records. Investigators seized several cell phones, and found a special app on one phone that was used to hide a cache of illicit images.

Stefanelli was arrested in July on possession of child pornography charges. He pleaded guilty in December. A federal judge on March 18 sentenced him to 20 months in prison, plus five years of supervised release when he leaves prison, according to court records.