New Hampshire Man Arrested for Coercion and Enticement of a Minor

BOSTON - A New Hampshire man has been arrested and charged in connection with the coercion and enticement of a minor.

Daniel Murphy, 50, of Merrimack, N.H., who was charged with coercion and enticement of a minor, made his initial appearance in federal court in Boston today and was held pending a detention hearing scheduled for Aug. 17, 2026.

According to the charging documents, in August 2025, Murphy allegedly engaged in a sexualized dialogue on Facebook Messenger with a minor victim living in Massachusetts. It is alleged that he coerced the victim to send pornographic videos and photographs and, in turn, sent obscene material depicting himself to the victim. Over the course of several days, it is alleged that Murphy also repeatedly traveled to meet the minor victim in person. When Murphy's electronic devices were seized by law enforcement, they were allegedly found to contain pornographic images and video of the minor victim as well as additional videos and images of other minors constituting child sexual abuse material.

The charge of coercion and enticement of a minor provides for a sentence of no less than 10 years in prison and a maximum of life; a minimum of five years of supervised release; and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Chief Mark Zimmerman of the North Reading Police Department; and Chief Brian K. Levesque of the Merrimack Police Department (N.H.) made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Nashua Police Department (N.H.). Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric L. Hawkins of the Major Crimes Unit is 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.justice.gov/psc.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.