Feds: Former Massachusetts probation officer convicted of sexually exploting a child

A former probation officer has been convicted in federal court of child exploitation offenses.

Brian Orlandella, 49, of Beverly, was found guilty of one count of sexual explotation of a child and one count of transfer of obscene material to a minor following a six-day trial, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Orlandella, who worked as an assistant chief probation officer for the Lynn District Court, was arrested in 2018 after a Texas mom contacted police about messages she found on her 13-year-old daughter’s cell phone, federal authorities say.

The messages between the girl and an adult man, later identified as Orlandella, were sent through the Kik mobile application. Federal prosecutors say those messages included explicit images of Orlandella, who directed the girl to send sexually explicit pictures and videos in return. The girl told Orlandella she was 14 years old, and he acknowledged that he was “much older” than her, according to the U.S. Attorney.

The Kik account’s IP address was traced to Orlandella’s home. Prosecutors say during a search of the home, two phones were seized, one of which had evidence linking Orlandella to the Kik account. When he was interviewed at his home, Orlandella admitted he had used Kik and was the person depicted in the explicit videos found on the girl’s phone, according to the U.S. Attorney.

Orlandella faces between 15 and 30 years in prison for the sexual exploitation of a child conviction and up to 10 years in prison for transferring obscene material to a minor. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 5.

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