Wareham man charged with possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material

Brandon Bendall, 49, of Wareham was charged with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography Friday, May 2.

According to court documents, Bendall was an alleged member of a chat group that viewed and posted child pornography material. A search of his residence and cell phone yielded approximately 9,400 images and videos of child sexual abuse material. 

The content included children as young as infants being sexually assaulted. 

The FBI of Boston, Massachusetts State Police, East Bridgewater Police Department and the Marion Police Department assisted in arresting Bendall without incident.

If found guilty of receipt of child pornography, Bendall could face 5 to 20 years in prison and 5 years to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. If found guilty of possession of child pornography, Bendall could face up to 20 years in prison.

Bendall is being held in custody pending a detention hearing to be held at a later date.

This case is ongoing and was brought forth as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.