Exeter man gets 6 years for child porn possession

CONCORD - An Exeter man was sentenced Wednesday in federal court to six years in prison for possessing child pornography.

William Pothier, 58, was found guilty of one count of possessing child pornography by a jury on Feb. 13, according to U.S. Attorney Scott W. Murray.

After serving his prison sentence, Pothier will be on supervised release for 20 years. Pothier also will have to register as a sex offender and pay a $5,000 fine and a $5,000 special assessment.

"In order to protect the safety of our children, it is vital to identify and prosecute those who distribute or possess child pornography," said Murray. "Protecting children from exploitation is a high priority of the U.S. Attorney's Office. I commend the law enforcement officers whose hard work resulted in this federal prosecution."

Pothier was arrested in April 2016 after a search warrant was executed at his home. Eighty thumbnail images of child pornography were found on his computer, authorities said.

During his trial, Murray said a jury heard evidence that Exeter police received information in January 2016 that an IP address affiliated with a residence in Exeter was allegedly making images of child pornography available for sharing through the peer-to-peer file-sharing software Shareaza.

After further investigation by Internet Crimes Against Children Task force members from the Exeter, Hampton and Portsmouth police departments, and the Strafford County Sheriff's Office, a search warrant was executed at the residence on March 30, 2016.

A forensic examination of a laptop seized during the search discovered videos and the thumbnail images of child pornography. Other evidence associated the laptop with Pothier, a Federal Aviation Administration employee.

The Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General and the FBI were the lead federal agencies on the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald A. Feith prosecuted the case.

"Mr. Pothier tried to hide behind the anonymity of the internet to prey on young children who were sexually assaulted, and by sharing their images, repeatedly re-victimized and exploited them," said Harold H. Shaw, special agent in charge with the FBI Boston Division. "Our children need to be protected from predators like him, and the FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to rooting out criminals who engage in violent and deplorable sexual crimes against our most vulnerable."

"This investigation demonstrates our commitment to pursuing individuals that participate in such nefarious illegal activities," said Todd Damiani, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, regional special agent in charge.

In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims.