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Man arrested for child porn to be releasedANDOVER, Nov 29, 2012 (Andover Townsman - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Indictments are coming soon for two men arrested as part of a child-porn DVD crackdown in September, but one has been released from prison prior to trial. William Thomas, who lived on Colonial Drive prior to his arrest, was released into the custody of a friend last week under a number of conditions, including electronic monitoring, according to Christina Dilorio-Sterling, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston. Thomas and Richard Keller, a Cyr Circle resident, were both arrested in September on charges of receipt of child pornography, according to Dilorio-Sterling. They stand accused of purchasing DVDs containing child pornography from a movie production company located outside the United States that operates a website selling DVDs and streaming videos, most of which "feature young minor boys," according to a complaint affidavit. Federal agents raided Keller's home in September and removed from a bedroom more than 500 high-gloss photos and at least 60 to 100 DVDs of child pornography, as well as computers, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Around a week later, U.S. Postal Inspectors seized over 200 DVDs and CDs from Thomas' bedroom containing child pornography, according to an affidavit filed by Scott Kelley, a U.S. Postal Inspector. Keller was a pediatric endocrinologist at Boston Children's Hospital and medical director of Phillips Academy for 19 years. The two cases are unrelated. Thomas is being released into the custody of Carol Fournier, a friend to Thomas, according to Dilorio-Sterling. Thomas can't return to his home in Andover. The court order releasing Thomas from prison indicates that Fournier lives in Ipswich, but no further information was available. Pamela Carakatsane, town clerk in Ipswich, said the town doesn't have a Carol Fournier listed in its street listing. As part of his release, Thomas can't "frequent or loiter in any place where children under the age of 18 congregate, including schools, parks, playgrounds, video arcades, libraries, fast-food restaurants, beaches, etc." Thomas also can't possess any device with Internet access, including a computer, cell phone or gaming console. He also can't possess any form of pornographic material. In addition to the other conditions of his release, a $50,000 secured bond was required by the court, according to Dilorio-Sterling. "If he doesn't appear when he's supposed to appear (in court), or he flees, the government can seize $50,000 from his property," she said. The government argued against Thomas' release because he should be considered a danger to society, according to Dilorio-Sterling. The U.S. District Court disagreed, however, and ordered his release on Thursday, Nov. 15, according to court documents. Philip Cormier, Thomas' attorney, couldn't be reached for comment. ___ (c)2012 the Andover Townsman (Andover, Mass.) Visit the Andover Townsman (Andover, Mass.) at www.andovertownsman.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |