Chad Francisco, age 31, formerly of 20½ Bridge Street, Apt. A, Nashua

CONCORD – A prolific child-pornography investigation by Nashua police that led to the arrest three years ago of then-Nashua resident Chad Francisco on some 28 charges eventually landed in federal court, where Francisco last week pleaded guilty to manufacturing child pornography, according to U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire Scott W. Murray.

Francisco, now 31, whose most recent address is 20 1/2 Bridge St., Apt. A in Nashua, is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 16 in the federal court.

“Protecting children from abuse is among the highest priorities of law enforcement,” Murray said. “Those who exploit a child in order to create child pornography subject their victim to trauma that may have enduring consequences throughout the child’s lifetime.”

David Magdycz, acting Special Agent In Charge at Boston-based Homeland Security Investigations, called the prosecution of Francisco and his guilty plea “a testimony to the effectiveness of the close partnership that HSI and our law enforcement partners in the Nashua Police Department and the U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire have built.”

“We’re gratified that a guilty plea has been achieved in this case, which involved not just the distribution but the creation of multiple disturbing images of child victims by this defendant,” Magdycz added.

Murray, citing “court documents and statements made in court,” the child endangerment investigation conducted by Nashua police prompted the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security investigation, during which agents obtained a federal search warrant for Francisco’s cell phone.

An inspection of the phone “revealed visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct involving two children under the age of 10 years old. Francisco created the visual depictions using his cellular phone and admitted to transmitting the photos to others through text messages,” Murray said.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

Newsletter