A 63-year-old man was arrested Thursday after prosecutors say they found he was in possession of “several thousand” images and videos containing child sexual abuse materials.
Lawrence Pagnoni, of Provincetown, is charged with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. He made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston Thursday, where he was released on conditions, including home detention with electronic monitoring, according to a statement from acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua S. Levy’s office.
An individual who was arrested in a child exploitation sting told law enforcement he received child sexual abuse material from Pagnoni, who is accused of sending them to the man through an online cloud storage platform, according to the statement. Prosecutors say investigators determined Pagnoni had sent thousands of such material to the individual.
During a search of Pagnoni’s home in May 2023, his cell phone was taken by police. Officials say investigators found several thousand images and videos containing child sexual abuse materials on Pagnoni’s phone, including at least 51 known images and videos as identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Levy’s office said.
Pagnoni could face a sentence of up to 40 years in prison if he is convicted on both charges, according to the statement.
The U.S. Attorney’s office encouraged members of the public who have questions, concerns or information about the case to call 617-748-3274.
The case against Pagnoni was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, which Levy’s office described as a “nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.”
