DePaula Faces Rape, More Child Pornography Charges After New Images Surface Online

Marblehead resident Raymond DePaula, who is embroiled in a child pornography and illegal weapons case, was arrested at his home Thursday afternoon and charged with raping a child, along with distributing and posing in pornographic photos with the child after new images surfaced online earlier this month.

According to police reports released to the press, authorities have acquired several images posted online that show DePaula, 39, in the act of having sex with a young female. In total, there are 17 pictures that show the child in "nude or sexually suggestive poses," according to police.

Marblehead Sgt. Sean Brady said he was contacted by the Department of Homeland Security, which was investigating an open child pornography case involving DePaula, and was informed that new images were posted online directly from a digital camera on June 6. That camera was found in DePaula's home and retrieved by police, along with other evidence.

The images depicted DePaula, whom Brady positively identified, on a bed in various sexual acts with a half-naked female child. Brady described three of the images in graphic detail in his report.

Police obtained arrest and search warrants and showed up at DePaula's home at 23 Puritan Rd. on Thursday around 4:30 p.m.

Brady, Sgt. Sean Sweeney, Lt. Mike Everett, officer Dean Peralta and Homeland Security special agents Mike Carvalho and Greg Squire confronted DePaula and he admitted that it was him in those photos after first denying he (DePaula) had been sexually involved with a child, said Brady.

DePaula was taken into custody and brought to the Marblehead Police Station for booking prior to an arraignment in Lynn District Court Friday morning.

According to police documentation, DePaula was held without bail. It did not indicate whether he pleaded guilty or not guilty to the charges.

Those charges are aggravated rape of a child under 16, indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, disseminating child pornography and posing a child for sexual photographs.

Prior to his court hearing, police say DePaula admitted to them that he performed sexual acts on the girl, whom he believed was six years old at the time (a few years ago). He denied that the girl performed sexual acts on him.

On some details, he told police he didn't clearly remember because he was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana at the time and claimed that only happened once.

DePaula told police he was never sexually involved with any other child and said another female, presumably an adult related to the child, was at her home at the time and he believed she was unaware of what had occurred.

According to police, DePaula denied posting the images online. "[He] claimed that someone must have stolen his SD card from the camera, posted the pictures and then returned the SD card to the camera without his knowledge," Brady said.

He told Brady he only uploaded the images to his computer and then deleted them later.

The case against DePaula had until now only dealt with possession of child pornography, along with unregistered guns and marijuana.