Walter Johnson, Possession of Child Pornography, Massachusetts 2019

Former Track Coach Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography

BOSTON – In a disturbing case, Walter Johnson, a 71-year-old former Wellesley High School assistant track coach and Harvard University track coach, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to possession of child pornography.

The crime was discovered in January 2017, when an investigation into child pornography being traded by a Craigslist user led authorities to Johnson. During a search of his home in Framingham, images and videos of child pornography were found on his computer and a thumb drive hidden in his bedroom.

Johnson was arrested on the scene and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury. He pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography, which carries a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistance was provided by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and the Framingham Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Lelling’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.

Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on September 10, 2019.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/former-assistant-track-coach-pleads-guilty-possessing-child-pornography