BOSTON (WHDH) - A Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center pharmacist faced a judge Thursday after authorities say he conspired with another person to sexually assault an infant.
Brandon Bair, 32, of Jamaica Plain, was arraigned in the West Roxbury Division of the Boston Municipal Court on charges of conspiracy to commit rape of a child, enticement, solicitation or employment of children in child pornography, dissemination of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and dissemination of obscene matter to a child, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins.
She added that additional charges are expected as the investigation continues.
Bair is being held without bail pending the outcome of a dangerousness hearing on Nov. 3.
“These are incredibly disturbing allegations. Victims exploited through child sexual abuse material such as this have not only had their childhoods stolen through rape and abuse, but their darkest moments have been shared for the sick pleasure of others online to view and continually exploit them. The survivors of these crimes struggle to heal from their trauma with the knowledge that, even years later, individuals continue to download and distribute the evidence of their abuse,” Rollins said. “These charges represent some of the most horrendous acts we see in law enforcement.”
Boston Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations, Massachusetts State Police, and law enforcement in other states, began investigating a cyber tip from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children in August 2020.
They obtained a search warrant for Bair’s user account on the app Kik and discovered nearly 1,000 images of suspected child sexual assault material depicting the rape, abuse and exploitation of children as young as infants, prosecutors said.
Bair is accused of possessing and sharing these documents through Kik and using the app Discord to conspire with another person to forcibly rape that person’s infant child.
Bair also befriended an underage child on Snapchat and used the app to send the child an explicit image of himself, prosecutors added.
“As humans of conscience, it’s nearly impossible to imagine anyone harming a child in this manner,” Rollins said. “But as District Attorney, I can tell you that these acts happen far more often than any of us would like to believe.”
Rollins is reminding parents and guardians to teach their children how to use apps and the internet safely. Her office has set up an online internet safety training program called Stop Block and Talk for families and professionals to use.
This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.
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