A Brockton man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for coercing at least three minors to produce child sexual abuse material, federal authorities announced yesterday.
Zaire Aquil Lodge, 46, of Brockton, Massachusetts, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 15 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, for his role in coercing minors to produce child sexual abuse material.
Lodge pleaded guilty in January 2024 to three counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of receipt of child pornography. The investigation revealed that Lodge created a false online persona of a teenage boy in 2021, which he used to convince at least three minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct and send him sexualized images of themselves.
The federal investigation, led by the Homeland Security Investigations in New England, uncovered Lodge’s online activities, which involved coercing minors to produce child sexual abuse material and receiving and attempting to receive such material between February and October 2021.
“This case is a stark reminder of the dangers of child exploitation and the importance of our efforts to combat it,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “We will continue to work tirelessly to identify and prosecute those who prey on our children.”
Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez praised the cooperative efforts of law enforcement agencies, saying, “This case demonstrates the critical importance of collaboration between local and federal law enforcement agencies in protecting our communities from the scourge of child exploitation.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274.
Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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