The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Michael Beaudoin, 29, of Essex Junction, Vermont, was sentenced on Sept. 15, 2014, in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont, to serve 121-months imprisonment and a 15-year period of supervised release following his conviction on one count of possession of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B). Chief Judge Christina Reiss also ordered Beaudoin to pay a $100 special assessment.
According to court records and proceedings, law enforcement personnel conducting undercover operations on a file-sharing program discovered that a computer later identified as belonging to Beaudoin was offering to share image files depicting child pornography. Law enforcement seized Beaudoin’s computer pursuant to a search warrant on Aug. 13, 2013, and later discovered images and videos depicting child pornography on it.
In 2011, Beaudoin was convicted of sexual assault of a minor less than 16 years old. He ultimately served 31 months of his sentence and was on state probation at the time the search warrant was executed. He had been out of custody for approximately two months was law enforcement discovered that he was using the file-sharing program to share images of child pornography.
United States Attorney Coffin commended the efforts of the Vermont Attorney General, the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task in the prosecution of Beaudoin.
The prosecution of Beaudoin was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara A. Masterson. Beaudoin was represented by Michael J. Straub.
U.S. Attorney Coffin noted that this prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice=s Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
