Melrose man facing guilt allegedly had hundreds of child sexual abuse videos on his computer

A Melrose man was charged with receiving and possessing child pornography after investigators found hundreds of child sexual abuse materials in his home, officials said.

Patrick Baxter, 42, was arrested Wednesday and charged with one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Rachel S. Rollins. Baxter was held in custody pending an as-yet-unscheduled detention hearing after appearing in federal court in Boston on Thursday.

Prosecutors say Baxter downloaded child sexual abuse material from the Internet twice, in June 2021 and July 2021.

Receiving child pornography carries a penalty of 5 to 20 years in prison, at least 5 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Possession of child porn carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a minimum of 5 years, a maximum lifelong release under supervision, and a maximum fine of $250,000.

The case was filed as part of a nationwide initiative to protect children from exploitation and abuse, according to Rollins’ office.

Established by the Justice Department in 2006, Project Safe Childhood tracks and prosecutes perpetrators of child exploitation. The project also aims to identify and help victims of child sexual abuse.