Dover Man Indicted for Possession of Child Sex Abuse Materials and Child Exploitation

Dover Man Indicted for Possession of Child Sex Abuse Materials and Child Exploitation

CONCORD - A Dover man was indicted this week for possession of child sex abuse materials (CSAM) and child exploitation, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.

Syrus McCauley, age 24, was indicted by a federal Grand Jury on one count of possession of and access with intent to view child pornography and two counts of child exploitation. He will appear in federal court in Concord on a later date.

According to the charging documents and statements made in court, McCauley communicated with minor victims online via Snapchat and other platforms and persuaded them to create and send him CSAM on multiple occasions.

The charging statutes provides a sentence of up to 10 years for possession of CSAM and a minimum sentence of 15 years for child exploitation. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation. Special Assistant U.S Attorney Heather Anderson is prosecuting the case.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the DOJ's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.