Swampscott child porn suspect faces 40 extra indictments

SALEM – Alexander Fridman, the Swampscott man already facing charges that he had 1,000 pornography images on his computer and sent some of those images to police in Swampscott and Virginia, was indicted Friday afternoon on 40 additional charges by an Essex County grand jury.Fridman, 32, of 12 Priscilla Road, Swampscott, now faces 40 additional indictments charging him with possession of child pornography in connection with his arrest on Nov. 2.Fridman is accused of sending some 130 images over the Internet to a Virginia detective, who posed as a 13-year-old boy named David for several months during their communication.The Virginia investigator identified Fridman, who went by the Internet screen name Jr00t2007, by tracking his screen name to an account held by his elderly mother.Fridman apparently had downloaded images on all four computers in the home as well as to a computer at work at a Bedford firm and shared numerous sexual chats on the Internet.He reportedly told police he had been collecting child pornography, more than 1,000 images, since age 13. He also told police he is a “closet homosexual” and is attracted to underage boys, according to reports.The newest charges against Fridman surfaced as a result of the ongoing investigation by authorities.He currently is charged with five counts of distribution of visual material of a nude child involving accusations they he distributed the material to the detectives in Swampscott and Virginia on July 5 and Nov. 2, the date of his arrest, allegations he has denied.Fridman is due back in court on Tuesday on the older charges and will be arraigned on the newest set of indictments.In the meantime, he still remains held at the Middleton Jail in lieu of $75,000 cash bail.Assistant District Attorney Jean M. Curran is prosecuting the case for the commonwealth and Fridman’s defense lawyer is former prosecutor Kevin M. Mitchell.