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A Fairfield County man has been arrested nearly a year-and-half after a search warrant of his home turned up child pornography on electronic devices.
Thomas Finn, age 55, of Norwalk, was arrested on Monday, Jan. 24, in connection with the case that began in January of 2020 in Norwalk.
In January of 2020, the Special Victims Unit was contacted by the US Department of Homeland Security regarding an intercept of suspected child pornography on the messaging application “Kik," said Lt. Terrence Blake of the Norwalk Police.
Homeland Security agents advised Norwalk Police Detective Kristina LaPak that the suspected child pornography was uploaded from an IP address in Norwalk, Blake said.
Through a series of court orders, LaPak was able to determine that the suspected child pornography was uploaded from Finn's home.
A search warrant was executed at Finn’s home in September of 2020, at which time several internet-capable devices were seized, including an iPhone.
Sergeant Nate Paulino, the investigative supervisor in the Special Victims Unit, conducted forensic examinations on the devices and discovered numerous media files containing child pornography on the iPhone and also found several conversations within the Kik messaging application where the performance of sex acts with minor children was being discussed, Blake said.
Paulino was able to develop probable cause that Finn was the sole user of the iPhone at the time the child pornography was uploaded and throughout the conversations referencing sex and children, police said.
An arrest warrant was issued for Finn and he was arrested at his home by Special Victims Unit detectives and members of the Norwalk Police Emergency Service Unit.
Finn's attorney, Mark D. Sherman said his client will "aggressively" fight the charges.
“This is a father and husband with no criminal history whatsoever and from what I know about the investigation so far, the forensics that led to this arrest beg more questions than answers," Sherman said.
Finn was charged with possession of child pornography and promoting a minor in an obscene performance
He is being held on a $250,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, Jan. 25.
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