Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Accessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

CONCORD – A Manchester man pleaded guilty today in federal court to a child exploitation offense, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.

Philip Longeway, 52, pleaded guilty to accessing with intent to view child sexual abuse material (CSAM).  U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante scheduled sentencing for September 26, 2024.   

Longeway is a sex offender based on a 2006 conviction for travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.  While on federal supervised release in connection with that case, Longeway’s internet activity was monitored through the use of special software.  That software captured chat communications between Longeway and an individual who stated that he was fifteen years old (referred to in Court documents as “John Doe”).  The monitoring software also captured screenshots of John Doe engaging in a sexual act for Longeway during a Zoom video call on two separate occasions.  John Doe was later identified as a fifteen-year-old child in New Jersey.

Due to Longeway’s status as a repeat offender, the charging statute provides a sentence of not less than 10 years and not more than 20 years of imprisonment, at least 5 years of supervised release, and a fine of $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.

Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey Weiland 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 DOJ’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, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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