NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City police officer was arrested Thursday on a child pornography charge. Officer Carmine Simpson is accused of using social media to chat with dozens of minors. Federal prosecutors say he sent them sexually explicit messages, persuaded some to send him nude pictures, asked for phone sex and sometimes encouraged self-harm. The 26-year-old officer did not enter a plea to the charge of producing child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison if he is convicted. Simpson’s lawyer, Todd Greenberg, said he and his client understood the “seriousness of the allegations” and that Simpson would plead not guilty at a later date. The police department suspended Simpson without pay.
Read the full charges against Carmine Simpson, here.
PHOTO: FILE – In this Dec. 31, 2015, file photo, a New York City police officer sits in a cruiser at a checkpoint surrounding Times Square during New Year’s Eve celebrations in New York. T(AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
