NORTHAMPTON — A 37-year-old Northampton man was charged with possessing and distributing child pornography Thursday in U.S. District Court in Springfield, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.
James J. Smith was charged with one count of offering to distribute material involving the sexual exploitation of children, the statement read.
Smith had his first appearance in court Thursday and is being held pending a detention hearing Tuesday, according to the statement.
On Jan. 8, 2015, a search warrant executed at Smith’s home recovered a cellphone containing a storage card, according to the statement.
Smith waived his Miranda rights and unlocked the phone, on which police found appoximately 110 images of child pornography, including images of an 8-year-old girl, the statement read.
The phone also contained email addresses and Craigslist correspondence related to “children engaged in sexually explicit conduct,” according to the statement.
Police also recovered emails in which Smith sent and received child pornography involving children age 10 and younger, according to the statement.
The statement also said police discovered messages in which Smith expressed interest in a 16-year-old.
If convicted, Smith would receive between 15 and 30 years in prison and up to a lifetime of supervised release, along with a $250,000 fine, the statement said.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the U.S. Attorney’s Springfield office.
Dave Eisenstadter can be reached at deisen@gazettenet.com.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the defendant’s age.