A Northeastern University admissions counselor was arrested this week on child pornography charges, according to federal prosecutors.
Beau Christopher Benson, of Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, was arrested on Tuesday for receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material obtained though Zoom chat rooms, said the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Benson, 35, was in court Wednesday. The allegations in the case are so serious that the judge said the court needed more time to review the evidence to determine whether he can be released from custody. He will be held until at least Monday for that review.
He's been suspended indefinitely from his job, a representative for Northeastern University confirmed to NBC10 Boston, though she didn't share more information, noting the school "does not comment on personnel matters."
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In April of this year, Benson allegedly took part in Zoom video chat rooms to share and view child sexual abuse material, prosecutors said. The 35-year-old allegedly recorded his participation in the chat rooms and saved the recordings to his social media account.
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673, and Massachusetts provides this list of statewide and resources for sexual assault survivors.
The recordings, said prosecutors, featured child sexual abuse material and conversations between Benson and others about the abusive images.
About 15 video files were saved in his Dropbox, prosecutors said. They said a tip identified Benson as an online user who had uploaded two files containing child sexual abuse material to a Dropbox account. The files, according to prosecutors, showed children who appeared to be about 2 to 4 years old.
In court, the federal prosecutor raised concerns about Benson's alleged drug use and whether it was safe to release him into the community. Benson addressed the judge himself, saying he is not the person being depicted and that he is a "good person."
If convicted, Benson will face a minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, said prosecutors.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
