David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware
Melvin Janvier, a 37-year-old resident of Newark, Delaware, received a federal prison sentence of 135 months for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The sentence was announced by Shannon T. Hanson, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware. Following his imprisonment, Janvier will be under federal supervised release for 15 years. The sentencing was delivered by U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika.
Court documents reveal that the FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Unit, with support from State of Delaware Probation and Parole, apprehended Janvier after an investigation by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. This investigation indicated that Janvier was in possession of and distributing CSAM via his cellphone on the Internet in July 2021.
Law enforcement officials discovered over 2,000 files containing CSAM on Janvier’s phone. These files included images and videos depicting prepubescent minors, including infants and toddlers, as well as materials portraying bondage and bestiality. Previously, in 2016, Janvier had been convicted in Delaware for possession and distribution of CSAM and served four years in prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Hanson commented on the case: “Our office is committed to protecting children and prosecuting those engaged in the sexual exploitation of minors through the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material. I wish to thank the FBI and our Delaware law enforcement partners who tirelessly pursued this case.”
FBI Baltimore SAC William J. DelBagno stated: "There is nothing that can excuse Melvin Janvier’s sick behavior. Every one of the more than 2,000 images he possessed re-victimizes a child." He emphasized the commitment of FBI Baltimore’s Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force to incarcerate predators like Janvier.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Baltimore Field Office with assistance from the FBI Washington Field Office and State of Delaware Probation and Parole. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel S. Frey and Briana Knox prosecuted the case.
Further details about this case can be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware or through PACER using Case No. 22-CR-78-MN.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide.