Special agents with the FBI in Boston arrested Brian Hargraves, 54, of Albany, New Hampshire, on Tuesday after he allegedly posed as a teenager online to solicit sexually explicit images from a teenage girl.
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Law enforcement received a citizen complaint regarding Hargraves in April. On April 29, officers searched one of Hargraves’ multiple cell phones and, according to charging documents, discovered sexually explicit images and videos of a 16-year-old girl.
Hargraves allegedly met the girl online and posed as a teenage boy while communicating with the victim. He reportedly asked the girl to create sexually explicit videos and images of herself for him, and she allegedly complied.
The U.S. District Court of NH issued a press release on the incident but did not specify how long the allegedly fraudulent online relationship continued.
Hargraves faces charges for possession of and access with intent to view child pornography, which carry a maximum criminal sentence of no more than 10 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Vicinanzo is prosecuting Hargraves’ case as part of the national Project Safe Childhood. The project was established in 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and uses federal, state, and local resources to protect children from sexual abuse and prosecute abusers.
