Robert DiDuca Sentenced to 18 Years on Child Porn Charges

Correction: The article incorrectly described the guidelines for sentencing. The post has been corrected to reflect the mandatory minimum for conviction of production of child pornography.

Robert DiDuca, of Milford, was sentenced Friday to 18 years in prison on child pornography charges, following a hearing in U.S. District Court in Boston.

led to an international child pornography case, involving the abuse of dozens of children, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, in a press release.

DiDuca, 48, formerly of Hancock Street, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor to 18 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release.

to production, distribution, and possession of child pornography. He was arrested initially on state charges in 2010, following an investigation by Milford Police and federal authorities.

Under sentencing guidelines, he faced a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison for the charges. Prosecutors asked for 18, and received it. The defense wanted 15 years. DiDuca has been held in custody since his arrest last June on federal charges. He will be assigned to a federal prison by the Bureau of Prisons.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz said: "I hope that today’s sentence sends a strong message that the government will bring all of its resources to bear on child exploitation investigations and prosecutions. Protecting children is one of our highest priorities, and we will
continue to aggressively and proactively root out anyone engaged in the exploitation of a child."

She commended investigators, whose efforts led not only to the arrest of DiDuca, a former hotel manager, but led "to a worldwide investigation, culminating in dozens arrests and the rescue of nearly over 130 children,” she said.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, when arrested, DiDuca had possession of more than 27,000 images of child pornography.

Investigators found that Diduca engaged in an online chat with an individual being separately prosecuted in Arizona, "persuading him to sexually abuse" a 4-year-old child and take sexually explicit photos of the child, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

The release continued: "Diduca provided the individual with a camera and suggested how the child should be posed. Diduca was also a member of an online forum for those with a sexual interest in children, and sent a pornographic image of a child via email. An investigation of that distributed image led to the identification of the child, and the arrest of a Dutch national in the Netherlands, who was charged with production, distribution, and possession of child pornography, as well as the sexual assault of 87 minors."