Member of the Massachusetts National Guard charged with child pornography

The FBI says a Massachusetts National Guard master sergeant arrested on child pornography charges exploited his own relatives and claimed to have sexually abused two of them before they were two years old.

Nicholas Wells, 43, stationed at Otis Air National Guard Base in Sandwich as part of the 102 Security Forces, was arrested at his home earlier this week and charged with both possession and distribution of child pornography. He agreed to voluntary detention at his first appearance in federal court in Boston on Thursday, according to court records.

“The charges against Nicholas Wells are very serious. Criminal activity is not consistent with our values ​​as an organization and will not be tolerated in our ranks,” the Massachusetts National Guard told the Herald through a spokesperson. “These alleged crimes are unrelated to his military service and as such the civilian criminal justice system has jurisdiction. Any further questions should be directed to the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

Accusations

The FBI affidavit supporting the charges contains gruesome details of Wells’ alleged actions.

Not only did Special Agent Derek Black reportedly find 312 images and 109 videos of suspected child pornography on Wells’ phone, but he also says Wells wrote extensively about his desire for little girls and even claimed to have sexually abused two young family members. while they were still in diapers.

That’s evident from three alleged chats on the Kik messaging app with an undercover law enforcement agent included in the affidavit.

Wells is said to have created the pseudonym “Chris Davis” for his Kik account, but investigation revealed that the account posts from an IP address that points directly to Wells and his wife’s home.

Wells in the Kik chats shared fully clothed photos of all four of his children during a trip to Dollywood, the Dolly Parton-themed amusement park in Tennessee, according to the affidavit, before also sharing a nearly two-minute child porn video of several young people . girls.

When the FBI executed a search warrant on March 5, Wells allegedly admitted to the charges when he agreed to speak with agents in a recorded interview.

He said he doesn’t know where he got the child pornography video he shared in the chats, but that “he generally copied and pasted videos containing child pornography from chats on Kik.”

“WELLS further admitted that he watches videos depicting child pornography and that he prefers videos (and photos) involving underage girls,” the statement said.

Career

Wells achieved the rank of master sergeant E-7 in November 2022 and has earned three commendation medals — one each from the Army, Navy and Air Force — and achievement medals from the Army and Air Force, according to the Massachusetts National Guard. He joined the organization in November 1998.

The Guard removed Wells from his full-time position, barred him from Otis and suspended his security clearance on March 5, 2024. His “scheduled divorce date” is November 1, 2024.

Originally published: October 25, 2024 at 3:34 PM