Merrimack Man Guilty in Child Porn Case

U.S. Attorney John P. Kacavas announced April 24 that Keith Burns, 41, of Merrimack, has pleaded guilty in federal court in Concord to one count of attempted receipt of child pornography.

The case originated in March 2013 when investigators in Jackson County, Oregon, received reports of a man using Facebook to solicit a 13-year-old girl to produce pornographic images of herself, according to Kacavas.

Her parents called local authorities, who in turn contacted the FBI, which investigated and later arrested Burns. Burns was previously convicted of sexually assaulting a minor and is required by New Hampshire law to register with the state's sex offender registry list, according to the U.S. Attorney.

Burns is facing a minimum of 15 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced July 31.

The Merrimack Police Department assisted the FBI in the investigation, which was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice.