Jay Scott Cloutier Pleads Guilty to Child Porn, Enticement

ALBANY, N.Y. — A 58-year-old Maine man has admitted to preying on minors through digital deception and interstate travel with predatory intent. Jay Scott Cloutier of Lyman, Maine, pled guilty yesterday to attempting to coerce and entice a minor into sexual acts and to receiving child pornography, federal prosecutors confirmed.

Cloutier engaged in sexually explicit text exchanges in 2019 with what he believed was a 14-year-old child — but was in fact an undercover FBI agent. Between April and September of that year, he escalated communications with the intent to meet the minor for sex. On September 20, 2019, he traveled from Maine to Colonie, New York, arriving at a prearranged location expecting to carry out his plan.

He never found his intended victim. Instead, he was met by federal agents who arrested him on the scene. During the investigation, authorities uncovered additional evidence: Cloutier had solicited and received sexually explicit images of two minors — one 17-year-old in November 2019, and a 15-year-old in February 2018.

The case was built by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, a multi-agency unit targeting online predators. Cloutier now faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and supervised release lasting between 5 years and the rest of his life. Sentencing is scheduled for March 15, 2022, before Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin C. Segovia is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat online child exploitation. The program unites federal, state, and local law enforcement to track down predators and rescue victims hidden in the digital underground.

“This is not victimless crime,” said U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman. “These actions shatter lives and exploit the most vulnerable. We will continue to pursue those who target children with the full weight of federal law.” Janeen DiGuiseppi, FBI Albany Field Office chief, emphasized that predators who use technology to groom minors will be tracked down, no matter the jurisdictional boundaries they cross.