Former Waltham Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Porn

A former Waltham Police officer pleaded guilty Thursday to possession child pornography, according to federal authorities.

Paul Manganelli, 47, of Waltham, pleaded guilty to the charge before U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor, according to a release from U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz’ office.

Manganelli faces up to 20 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine, authorities said.

According to the release, from December 2011 to March 2013, Manganelli traded child pornography via email. He resigned from his position at the Waltham Police Department after his arrest in March 2013.

At the time of his arrest, federal agents found Manganelli in possession of more than 850 images and 40 videos containing child pornography. He traded the material with at least 53 email accounts, according to the release. During these email exchanges, Manganelli discussed his sexual interest in children and asked others how to groom a child to engage in sexual activity with him, authorities said.

Manganelli initially claimed that he was attempting to identify online sexual predators. However, he was never assigned nor authorized by the Waltham Police Department to conduct such purported investigations, nor did he ever report any criminal conduct he observed, authorities said.