Dennis Lavigne, Child Enticement & Child Pornography, New York 2023

A 57-year-old Vermont man has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for attempting to coerce and entice a minor, as well as transporting child pornography.

Dennis Lavigne, of Derby, Vermont, was sentenced to 250 months in prison by United States District Judge Mae A. D'Agostino, who also imposed a life term of post-imprisonment supervised release and ordered Lavigne to pay restitution to the victims of the child pornography offenses.

The investigation revealed that in 2000, Lavigne had previously pled guilty to aggravated sexual assault of a victim less than 10 years of age and was sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison (suspended except for 90 days).

In November 2019, Lavigne exchanged sexually explicit text messages with someone he believed was the mother of an 11-year-old child, expressing a desire to engage in sexual acts with the child.

On November 24, 2019, Lavigne traveled from Vermont to Albany, with the intent to engage in sexual acts with the presumed child. He was subsequently arrested and further admitted to transporting child pornography files, which law enforcement officials recovered from Lavigne's phone.

Many of the child pornography files featured the rape and sexual abuse of prepubescent minors, including infants.

This case was investigated by the FBI Albany's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department, Rotterdam Police Department, Saratoga County Sheriff's Office, and the New York State Police.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel L. Williams as part of Project Safe Childhood, a program launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndny/pr/vermont-sex-offender-sentenced-more-20-years-attempted-enticement-and-child