Wareham Man David St. Jacques Gets 10 Years for Child Porn Charges

A Wareham man with a long history of exploiting children online is finally facing justice. David St. Jacques, 57, was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston to 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography—a crime he’s been tied to for over a decade.

St. Jacques pleaded guilty on April 15, 2021, to one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris handed down the decade-long sentence, followed by five years of supervised release—time St. Jacques will now spend answering for images that represent unforgivable harm to innocent victims.

The arrest stemmed from a September 2020 search of St. Jacques’s home, where federal agents seized a computer, three phones, and a thumb drive packed with illicit material. But St. Jacques wasn’t passive—he destroyed at least two additional drives and tried to wipe one of his phones as law enforcement moved in, a desperate act signaling guilt long before he spoke a word in court.

Investigators uncovered more than just storage devices. St. Jacques admitted to swapping child pornography with others through encrypted chat apps—linking him to a broader network of predators. Each message, each file shared, represents a new trauma inflicted on children already victimized beyond comprehension.

This isn’t St. Jacques’s first conviction. In March 2009, he was found guilty in Plymouth County Superior Court on multiple counts of disseminating and possessing child pornography. Despite prior punishment, he reoffended—proving the depth of his disregard for the law and the safety of children.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Chief of Acting U.S. Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell’s Major Crimes Unit, with support from FBI Boston under Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Bonavolonta. It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, the DOJ’s nationwide strike force against child exploitation. More at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.