BOSTON — A Lenox man was arrested and charged last week with attempting to transfer obscene material to a minor.

 

Paul J. Bruzzi, 35, made an initial appearance in federal court in Springfield on Wednesday.  

 

According to the charging documents, starting in September 2022, Bruzzi used social media applications to communicate with an individual he believed to be a 14-year-old girl, but who was actually an undercover federal investigator. During these conversations, it is alleged that Bruzzi sent the purported minor nine photographs and videos of himself displaying his genitalia and attempted to pressure her into sending him photos of herself. 

 

The charge of attempt to transfer obscene matter to a minor provides for a sentence of at least 10 years in prison, three years 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.

 

U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement on Wednesday, saying Valuable assistance was provided by the Salisbury and Winchester police departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil L. Desroches of Rollins' Springfield Office 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 Department of Justice'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, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.