Boston...A Lowell man was sentenced today in federal court for possession of child pornography.
Andrew Cheever 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 41 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Cheever pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on Dec. 12, 2011.
Had the case proceeded to trial, the Government’s evidence would have proven that Cheever made child pornography available on the Internet through peer-to-peer software. Thousands of child pornography images and videos were found on computers and media in his home.
At today’s sentencing, Judge Gorton imposed an additional condition that Cheever read victim impact statements of six children depicted in the child pornography he collected.
Cheever had been employed with the Transportation Security Administration since 2007, and was a security checkpoint screener at Logan International Airport. He was taken into custody on September 9, 2011, and is being held in custody pending sentencing.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Gregory K. Null, Special Agent in Charge of Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, Northeast; Bruce M. Foucart, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Office of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Marian J. McGovern, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Beverly Police Chief Mark A. Ray; and Salem Police Chief Paul F. Tucker made the announcement today. In coordination with the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office, was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael I. Yoon of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.
This case was 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. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
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