BOSTON (WWLP) – A Massachusetts man was sentenced Tuesday in connection with receiving child pornography, including images of an infant.
According to the news release sent to 22News by the Department of Justice in Boston, Paul Weddington, 51, was sentenced to 12 years in prison and five years of supervised release. On March 9, Weddington pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography.
According to court records, in November 2020, Nichole Cyr was arrested for child exploitation offenses after child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including images and videos, was located on her cell phone. Further investigation of Cyr’s phones found conversations with Weddington in which Weddington received CSAM from Cyr that depicted two children who were two and seven years old and known to Cyr.
After the investigation, Weddington’s phone was seized during a search of his residence in February 2021. The phone contained screenshots of an apparent video chat with Cyr in which the CSAM of the two-year-old child was displayed.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse.