Pittsfield Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Offenses

BOSTON - A Pittsfield man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Springfield, Mass. to receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Benjamin Shacar, 39, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of receipt of child pornography and one count possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for June 22, 2026. Shacar was charged by criminal complaint in March 2021.

According to charging documents, between August 2020 and March 2021, Shacar received and possessed CSAM. During a search of Shacar's residence a thumb drive and laptop containing multiple files depicting CSAM were located. During an on-scene interview, Shacar admitted that he viewed and downloaded CSAM from the internet.

The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a sentence of no less than five years and up to 20 years in prison. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Each charge also provides for at least five years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Hampden County Sheriff Nicholas Cocchi; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Pittsfield Police Chief Marc Maddalena made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney's Neil Desroches and Thomas Barnico of the Springfield Branch Office are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the DOJ's 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.projectsafechildhood.govLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..