Stephen Lane, 57, of Burlington, Vermont, was sentenced on July 21 to 97 months in prison followed by a 15-year term of supervised release for distributing child sexual abuse material. Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered Lane to pay a $10,000 assessment to the Child Pornography Victims Reserve and a $5,000 assessment to the Domestic Trafficking Victims’ Fund.
According to court records, between September 26 and October 9, 2024, Lane communicated with an undercover U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division special agent who posed as a 13-year-old girl living in Korea. During these exchanges via social media and internet-based platforms, Lane sought explicit content from the purported minor. Army CID coordinated with the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations; investigators executed a search warrant at Lane’s residence on October 10, 2024.
A review of Lane’s electronic devices revealed that he had been corresponding online with multiple individuals seeking media files or video chats depicting child sexual abuse material involving teenage girls. One individual indicated being 17 years old; during their exchange, Lane requested explicit content and sent a video showing a child under age sixteen exposing herself. After initially being charged in Vermont Superior Court, federal authorities arrested Lane in December 2025 when he was found violating state release conditions by using messaging features on a meditation app to contact users he believed resembled young girls.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt said, “I commend the collaborative investigatory efforts of U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, Homeland Security Investigations, and Detectives of the Vermont Attorney General’s Office.” The case was prosecuted by Ophardt; Jessica L. Burke and Sara M. Puls represented Lane.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child exploitation online through coordination among federal prosecutors and law enforcement agencies.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont enforces federal criminal laws and handles civil litigation on behalf of the United States while fostering partnerships with state and local law enforcement agencies as well as community partners across Vermont; its offices are located in Burlington and Rutland, according to the official website.