CONCORD, N.H. — A Nashua man was sentenced Oct. 8 in federal court for possessing over 1,100 images of child sexual abuse.
Brian Eric Hynes, 35, was sentenced to 53 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release. On May 6, Hynes pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.
“Hynes possessed over a thousand images, each capturing the pain and trauma of a child. The possession and demand for these images perpetuates that pain and today’s sentence shows the consequences — federal prison time,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol. “HSI continues to work alongside our partners to detect and bring to justice predators who seek out child sexual abuse material.”
“The defendant exacerbated the pain and suffering of countless child survivors by possessing images of their abuse,” said U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young. “He then tried to cover up his crime by deleting suspected CSAM when he was confronted by law enforcement. Today’s sentence serves as a warning to those who think that applications and websites will give them enough anonymity to continue victimizing children. Law enforcement will identify you, investigate you and prosecute you, and you will be incarcerated for your role in the child exploitation epidemic.”
In August 2021, HSI special agents reviewed chat rooms being used to exchange child sexual abuse material on an app called Viber. Law enforcement learned that an individual with the username “John ketg” was present in chat rooms where child sexual abuse material was posted and traced the username back to Hynes.
In February 2022, HSI special agents obtained a search warrant for the Hynes’ electronic devices. When executing the warrant, special agents saw him sitting in his vehicle. He did not initially comply with law enforcement’s commands to exit the vehicle and was seen swiping up on his phone. Although Hynes eventually exited the vehicle, he continued to swipe the phone. Officers subdued him and secured the phone. The recently used video player application on his phone displayed child sexual abuse material. HSI computer forensics analysts conducted a forensic examination of the phone revealed approximately 1,150 child sexual abuse images, primarily depicting young girls under 10 years old. The web history further showed that the defendant had visited websites associated with child sexual abuse material, and he had saved bookmarks to websites with phrases and words indicative of child sexual abuse material.
HSI New England’s Manchester Resident Agent in Charge office and the Nashua Police Department led the investigation.
HSI is a global leader in the fight against child exploitation. Last year, HSI special agents dedicated 1.2 million case hours toward investigating child exploitation. This heinous crime harms the most vulnerable in our society: our kids. As technology evolves and more people have access to the internet, children are at a greater risk than ever. HSI’s special agents and analysts around the world are dedicated to countering this threat.
Report suspected child exploitation to the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP or through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's website.