Repeat trafficker in child sex abuse images gets 10 years

CONCORD - A Nashua man was sentenced in federal court for possessing child sexual abuse material.

Shane Niven, 34, will spend 120 months in federal prison followed by eight years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $24,000 in restitution and a $5,000 special assessment. Niven pleaded guilty in April to possessing child pornography.

"The defendant is a recidivist sex offender who continued his online exploitation of children," said U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young. "This case highlights the importance of reporting child sexual exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Cyber tips to alerted law enforcement to the defendant's nefarious online activity and potentially saved additional victims from harm."

"Niven had already been convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material when he was caught yet again with these horrific files in his possession. Continued vigilance by special agents, paired with our critical public and private sectors partners, allows us to detect, identify and bring to justice predators like Niven, who possess and trade in child sexual abuse material," said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations in New England.

According to court documents and statements made in court, federal authorities found sex abuse images on electronic devices belonging to Niven after executing a federal search warrant at his home. Niven is a registered sex offender with a prior conviction for possession of child sex abuse images. Authorities identified Niven through tips, which reflected that on at least two occasions, Niven's residential IP address had been used to share hundreds of files of suspected child sex abuse images with users of a particular online platform. Several of the files identified in the tips were found on devices seized from Niven's home.