Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A Pittsfield, Massachusetts man has been sentenced to 46 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting children and possessing child sexual abuse material. Justin Benoit, 39, received the sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni in Springfield. After his release, Benoit will be subject to 10 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender. He was also ordered to pay full restitution to his victims.
Benoit pleaded guilty in May 2025 to five counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography during government testimony at trial. He was arrested on February 15, 2022, and has remained in custody since then. According to court records, he still faces related state charges in Central Berkshire District Court.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley commented on the case: “This defendant’s conduct is nothing short of diabolical. He preyed on innocent young children, including two who were entrusted to his care, whom he repeatedly sexually abused. Each image that he captured will result in an eternity of trauma and revictimization on these children. Furthermore, he exploited countless children he never met and did not know from the comfort of his own home through his enormous collection of child sexual abuse material. He is every parent’s worst nightmare,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “It is our hope that this sentence brings some measure of justice to the victims in this case, and protects other children from further exploitation at his hands.”
Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Boston Division stated: “What Justin Benoit admitted to is morally reprehensible. He raped and exploited three children under his care and documented the abuse to fuel his own sadistic desires,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “This sentence is richly deserved and there’s no question the public is safer with Mr. Benoit behind bars, locked away where he can’t victimize anyone else’s child.”
Local law enforcement discovered that Benoit had uploaded child sexual abuse material online in November 2021. A search conducted at Benoit's residence in February 2022 led authorities to seize multiple electronic devices containing hundreds of files depicting such material as well as images and videos documenting abuse committed by Benoit at his home.
Further examination showed that some files involved extremely young victims subjected to severe abuse.
Investigators also found about 130 files showing repeated instances where Benoit raped or exploited two minor females and one minor male between February 2021 and February 2022; two victims were under age twelve at the time when some materials were produced.
The investigation involved cooperation among federal agents, Massachusetts State Police Superintendent Colonel Geoffrey Noble, Pittsfield Police Department, Berkshire County District Attorney’s Office, Assistant U.S Attorneys Luke A Goldworm (Project Safe Childhood Coordinator) and Jessica L Soto.
The prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 aiming to combat child exploitation by combining efforts from federal prosecutors with state/local resources for apprehending offenders while identifying/rescuing victims (www.projectsafechildhood.gov/).
