Hyde Park Man Arrested and Charged with Possession of Child Pornography

BOSTON - A Hyde Park man has been arrested and charged for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse materials (CSAM).

Nicholas J. McDonagh, 25, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of possession of child pornography. McDonagh was arrested on April 23, 2026 and remains in federal custody pending further order by the court.

According to the charging documents, in June 2025, investigators with the Delaware State Police identified McDonagh as the potential suspect behind sexually explicit messages, photos and videos that had been sent to a 12-year-old Delaware girl via Snapchat earlier that year. It is alleged that McDonagh had been communicating with this girl over Snapchat from approximately January to March 2025, and that the two had engaged in "nude video chats."

During subsequent searches of McDonagh's residence and person on Aug. 6, 2025, several cellphones were seized. It is alleged that the devices were found to contain approximately 24 video files depicting CSAM, including several videos depicting girls who appear to be younger than 12 years old. It is further alleged that one of the devices contained several Snapchat messages with the minor victim from Delaware. The defendant was arrested and charged by state authorities that same day, on Aug. 6, 2025, and later released on bail with pretrial conditions, including GPS monitoring, internet restrictions and refraining from any unsupervised contact with minors.

Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274 or contact [email protected].

The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. 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.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael A. Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Delaware State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Potapchuk of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices and the DOJ's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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.