BOSTON-A South Boston man was charged Friday in what prosecutors say could be one of the largest child pornography distribution cases in the world.
Police said they found 16,000 files of child pornography on George Shipps' seized computer. One piece of evidence recovered is 75-minute video, sexual in nature, showing girls as young as 5 and 6-years-old, officials said.
His computer system was identified as one of the "largest distributing child porn in the world in the last few months," according assistant Attorney General Chris Kelly. Investigators said Shipps allowed the material to be accessed through a peer-to-peer online network.
Shipps, a 47-year-old father of five grown children, was arrested Thursday night at his home.
He pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography and was held on $100,000 bail.
Prosecutors said he confessed to police saying he "had a problem." His attorney said the system that detected the alleged pornographic files is flawed.
Shipps, who was laid off from his job as a hardware store sales manager, has a record that dates back to 1975, according to court documents.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Feb, 26 for a probable cause hearing.
