WASHINGTON – Harris Taubman, of Hyannis, Mass., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Boston for receiving and possessing child pornography, Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Michael J. Sullivan for the District of Massachusetts announced.
Taubman, 48, was sentenced to 84 months in prison for three counts of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. He was indicted on those charges on Feb. 6, 2008, and pled guilty on Feb. 11, 2009.
Taubman was first identified by Barnstable, Mass., police as a result of a 911 call referencing a dispute during which Taubman allegedly pointed a loaded shotgun at a neighbor. According to court documents, when police arrived at Taubman’s residence, they found unlawful ammunition cartridges. A further search revealed numerous printed images of child pornography. The execution of additional search warrants resulted in the seizure of almost 2,000 computer disks containing child pornography, as well as more than 20 computer hard drives. In total, Taubman possessed tens of thousands of images and videos depicting prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Elizabeth M. Yusi of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Gershengorn of the District of Massachusetts’ Major Crimes Unit. The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Barnstable Police Department.
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