Salem EMT arrested for allegedly possessing child porn, DOJ says

A Salem emergency medical technician was arrested Wednesday for allegedly receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material, federal prosecutors said.

Connor McAuliffe, 34, was charged Wednesday with one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. He was arrested Wednesday morning at his home, United States Attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley said in a press release. 

McAuliffe is employed as an EMT by an emergency services company and holds an active paramedic certificate, according to the charging document.

A collateral criminal investigation conducted in 2023 headed by the South African Police Services in Pretoria, South Africa allegedly identified McAuliffe in January 2025 as an “active member” of encrypted messaging groups focused on trading CSAM, according to the charging document. 

The groups consisted of more than 1,000 members globally. Additional investigation allegedly pinpointed McAuliffe as a member of at least 14 other chat groups “on that one chat application dedicated to sharing CSAM,” the release said. 

After McAuliffe’s cellphone was taken during a residence search in March 2025, a forensic review allegedly divulged that he was a part of approximately 100 group-chats focused on CSAM on numerous messaging applications, officials wrote in the release. 

“The chats allegedly had titles such as ‘Boys Planet,’ ‘Boys of Eden,’ ‘boys video,’ ‘10 to 16 years hot boys,’ and ‘Chicos ninos y adolescentes cp’ – which translates to ‘Boys, children and adolescents CP,’” the release said. 

A subsequent review of the cellphone’s files allegedly disclosed that McAuliffe had downloaded approximately 1,500 images and 50 videos depicting CSAM. Several of the files allegedly detailed the rape, abuse, or exploitation of minor boys who appeared aged nine to 11 years old, officials said in the release. 

McAuliffe was ordered to be detained pending an Aug. 12 hearing, authorities said. An attorney listed for him did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday night.

The case is a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice aiming to combat child sexual abuse and exploitation. 

Anyone with questions, concerns, or information about this case can call 617-748-3274.