A 31-year-old resident of Keene has been sentenced to a term of three years in federal prison following his admission of having child sexual abuse material. This ruling was made in a federal court in Concord, New Hampshire, where U.S. District Judge Steven McAuliffe imposed the sentence on Connor Mueller, which includes an additional five years of supervised release after his prison term. Mueller had pleaded guilty earlier in 2023 to the offense of possessing such material.

The investigation revealed that Mueller was discovered through an undercover operation targeting the use of specific peer-to-peer file-sharing programs. Officers found that these programs not only facilitated the acquisition of videos related to child sexual abuse but also allowed others to access shared content from Mueller.

Upon searching his home, law enforcement officials confiscated several electronic devices that contained a substantial amount of images and videos depicting the abuse of minors. The inquiry was primarily conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, in collaboration with the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the local police. The case against Mueller was presented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Vicinonzo.

Federal authorities noted that this case aligns with Project Safe Childhood, a long-standing initiative initiated by the Department of Justice in 2006, aimed at enhancing the investigation and prosecution of child exploitation offenses and safeguarding victims.