Aaron Cassidy, 49, Sentenced for Child Porn Access

Aaron Cassidy, 49, of Falmouth, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for accessing child pornography with intent to view, announced U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee. The conviction marks the end of a years-long federal investigation into the distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material over peer-to-peer networks.

U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal ordered Cassidy to serve two years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. He was also hit with a $5,000 assessment, a mandatory fee for non-indigent defendants in child sexual exploitation cases. Cassidy pleaded guilty to the charge on July 20, 2021, admitting to knowingly accessing and downloading videos depicting minors in sexually explicit conduct.

The probe began in March 2015 when Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents identified a user sharing child pornography through Ares, a decentralized file-sharing program. A forensic download traced a child exploitation video to an IP address linked to Cassidy’s Falmouth residence. A search warrant executed in May 2015 led agents to a laptop in Cassidy’s bedroom that contained not only the Ares software but also multiple images and videos of minors engaged in graphic sexual acts.

Court records show that the material recovered was not incidental or accidental—it was actively searched for, downloaded, and stored. Investigators confirmed the files had been seeded across the network, meaning Cassidy’s actions contributed to the ongoing circulation of abuse material. Each download and share perpetuates the victimization of children whose images are traded like currency in hidden digital corners.

In handing down the sentence, Judge Singal emphasized the lifelong trauma endured by the children depicted in such material. “The record of their abuse never disappears,” he said. “Every time these files are accessed, the victim is re-victimized.” The court stressed that accessing child pornography is not a victimless crime—it fuels demand and sustains a global marketplace of child sexual exploitation.

The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat the proliferation of child sexual abuse online. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, the program coordinates federal, state, and local efforts to identify perpetrators, dismantle networks, and rescue victims. HSI conducted the investigation. For more information, visit www.justice.gov/psc.