A 66-year-old Akutan man faces 10 felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material.
Alaska State Troopers arrested Tom Bereskin in Akutan on Tuesday. State prosecutors say the Alaska Bureau of Investigation found more than 4,000 files depicting child sexual abuse uploaded to Bereskin’s Gmail account. They said investigators also discovered children’s underwear in his possession.
Bereskin made an initial court appearance Wednesday morning in Unalaska. He faces up to 99 years in prison for each count.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline tipped off investigators in Alaska by reporting that an individual – later identified as Bereskin – had been downloading large volumes of child sex abuse material. That kicked off an investigation that started in September, according to troopers.
A state prosecutor at the Wednesday court hearing said Bereskin had admitted to saving and viewing hundreds of files showing child sex abuse.
A judge overseeing the case appointed Bereskin a public defender, set his bail at $30,000 and required that he have a third-party custodian.
The next hearing in the case is set for February.
