An Ashland resident, Brent Vreeland, 36, has agreed to voluntary detention following a federal hearing in Boston on April 24, as he faces serious charges related to the distribution of child pornography via the Telegram Messenger app. The federal Justice Department has charged him with one count of transportation of child pornography, stemming from an investigation that began last October.
Vreeland was apprehended at his home on Wednesday, shortly after arriving at Logan International Airport in Boston from Reykjavik, Iceland. During a routine secondary screening, security personnel examined his phone and discovered what they suspected to be child pornography. This prompted them to alert federal Homeland Security investigators.
Investigators say they found conversations about child porn on phone
The investigation revealed that Vreeland had engaged in conversations on his Telegram account, soliciting content involving minors. According to the affidavit, he sent a video featuring a child as young as four years old to another user. In total, authorities reported finding 30 media files depicting children within Vreeland’s direct messages on the app.
Facing a potential sentence of five to 20 years in federal prison, along with a 0,000 fine and lifetime supervised release if convicted, Vreeland was ordered to be held without bail during his initial hearing. His attorney, Steven Boozang, was unavailable for comment following the hearing.
