Boston, Massachusetts - A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty Tuesday to distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography charges.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling of the District of Massachusetts and Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Bonavolonta of the FBI’s Boston Field Office made the announcement.

Bruce Singer, 72, of Southampton, Massachusetts was charged with five counts of distribution of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.  Singer was indicted in March 2017.  U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for July 19, 2019.

According to admissions made in connection with his plea agreement, on various occasions between April 30, 2013 and June 25, 2015, Singer sent and received child pornography by text and email.  Singer engaged in the exchange of child pornography with two other people, including James Smith, a man who was convicted in 2017 in District Court in Springfield, Massachusetts for distributing, transporting, receiving and possessing child pornography.  At the time police searched his home in 2015, Singer possessed hundreds of images of child pornography on various electronic devices, including images of several known child victims.

This case was investigated by the FBI, Northampton Police Department, Easthampton Police Department and Massachusetts State Police.  Trial Attorney Leslie Fisher of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex J. Grant of the District of Massachusetts are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.