SOUTHBRIDGE, MA — A local man was arrested and charged in federal court in Boston for possession of child sexual abuse material.
Yojuande Blaize, 23, of Southbridge, was charged with possession of child pornography Thursday.
The defendant was arrested Thursday and following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston that afternoon, he was held pending a detention hearing scheduled for May 27, 2026.
According to the charging documents, law enforcement located child sexual abuse material while conducting a preliminary review of a folder on Blaize’s device that contained over 7,000 videos and images.
Blaize also allegedly admitted that he would regularly seek out and purchase child sexual abuse material online and, on multiple occasions, advertise and sell the material he obtained.
The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Nathan Hebert, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement Thursday.
Assistance was provided by the Southbridge Police Department and the United States Secret Service.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.
