CT man sentenced for downloading thousands of child abuse videos from dark web
A North Branford man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison after investigators found thousands of videos and photos on his devices of children as young as infants being sexually abused, officials said.
Joseph Amadeo, 39, appeared in court in Hartford on Monday where U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson sentenced him to seven years behind bars followed by a lifetime of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office
Court records show that the Department of Homeland Security investigators began looking into Amadeo, who was already on the sex offender registry, in 2020 because he was part of an online community of people who sent and received photos and videos of child pornography on the dark web, federal officials said.
Amadeo was previously convicted for crimes involving child pornography in 2013, according to federal officials.
Investigators searched his house in March 2021, seizing his computer and other electronic devices. They found thousands of images and videos of children being sexually abused, many as young as infants.
He was arrested on June 3, 2021, and pleaded guilty last April to receipt of child pornography.
He has been released on a $100,000 bond and is required to report to prison on Feb. 2, federal officials said.
To report cases of child exploitation, visit www.cybertipline.com.