Randy Alan Chaplis, Child Porn Distribution, MA 2017

Boston – Randy Alan Chaplis, 32, of Boylston, Mass., was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Worcester for distributing child pornography.

Chaplis, who was detained pending a hearing on March 20, 2017, stands accused of sending explicit images and descriptions to an undercover officer on February 9, 2017. He also allegedly expressed interest in children as young as three years old, boasting about his actions in graphic detail.

On March 15, 2017, agents executed a search warrant at Chaplis’s residence, uncovering evidence of child pornography stored on an external hard drive and desktop computer. The charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Acting U.S. Attorney William D. Weinreb and Matthew Etre of Homeland Security Investigations announced the charges, with Assistant U.S. Attorney William F. Abely prosecuting the case. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The investigation is part of Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative aimed at combating child exploitation. For more information on the program, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.