Boston Area Nanny, Stephanie Lak, Charged with Child Porn anD Other OffenSes

After an investigation, including a search warrant earlier this month by the Crimes Against Children Unit and the F.B.I. Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, Stephanie Lak, 36, of Roxbury was arrested on April 28, 2021 and charged with Possession of Child Pornography, and Distribution of Material of a Child in a Sex Act.

As recently as last month, Lak was active on sittercity.com, an online marketplace for nannies and sitters. Investigators discovered messages from Lak in which she identifies herself as a nanny. In one chat, Lak encouraged a caregiver from Minnesota to harm children in his care, volunteering to help him do so according to authorities.

In March, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children contacted the Boston Police Department’s Crimes Against Children unit and reported that eight separate images of child sexual abuse were being trafficked over an IP address in Roxbury.

The center had received a CyberTip from MediaLab/Kik that a user had uploaded and shared files believed to be child sexual abuse material. Eventually a laptop and three smartphones were seized from Lak’s residence during an April 15th joint search warrant which would eventually lead to her arrest.

If you or your minor dependent(s) have been in contact with Stephanie Lak and think you may be a victim of the allegations in this case, please email Lakinvestigation@fbi.gov and provide your name and best contact information to have a member of the investigative team contact you.

All identities of victims will be kept confidential. Identified victims may be eligible for certain services and rights under state and/or federal law.

To those who find themselves in need of emotional support or simply needing to talk to someone about distressing events in our community, the Boston Neighborhood Trauma Team (NTT) provides free, private support 24/7 at (617) 431-0125 or by visiting BPHC.org/trauma.