CONCORD – A Lee man pleaded guilty today in federal court to possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.

Joshua Olsen, 31, pleaded guilty to possession and distribution of CSAM. U.S. District Court Judge Steven McAuliffe scheduled sentencing for August 29, 2023.  Olsen was charged by complaint in December 2022 and indicted in January 2023.

Olsen corresponded with an undercover law enforcement officer through various online platforms.  During these chats, Olsen engaged in sexually graphic conversations related to children and sent sexually explicit images of children to the undercover officer.  A subsequent search of Olsen’s cell phone revealed the presence of over 1,600 images of apparent CSAM.

The charging statute provides a sentence of at least 5 no greater than 20 years in prison, at least 5 years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and mandatory restitution.  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 Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Lee Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey Weiland 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. Attorneys’ 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.