Patrick Baxter, Child Pornography Offenses, Massachusetts 2023

An Acton man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in a child pornography ring.

Patrick Baxter, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 20 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In January 2024, Baxter was convicted after a jury trial of one count of possession of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of sexual exploitation of children.

Baxter was previously arrested and charged in December 2022. The investigation revealed that Baxter downloaded child sexual abuse material from the internet on multiple occasions in 2021. A computer hard drive seized during a search of Baxter’s residence was found to contain approximately 427 video files depicting child sexual abuse material featuring prepubescent and pubescent minors engaged in various types of sexual acts and the lascivious display of their genitals.

Not only did Baxter amass hundreds of images of child sexual abuse, but he also sexually exploited a seven-year-old child for his own sick gratification, according to the FBI. The FBI and its law enforcement partners are working every day to find and bring to justice anyone actively harming children like this.

“Child pornography is not just an image or video, there is an innocent child behind that lens who has been victimized. Each time someone views these images, the victims are revictimized, causing immeasurable harm,” said United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. 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.

Valuable assistance was provided by the Melrose Police Department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David G. Tobin and Jessica L. Soto of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

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