Pittsfield Predator: Benoit Gets 46 Years for Child Exploitation

SPRINGFIELD, MA – Justin Benoit, 39, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, will spend the next 46 years in federal prison after being sentenced yesterday for a litany of horrific crimes against children. Benoit documented his own sexual abuse of minors in his home and hoarded hundreds of files depicting the sexual abuse of other children, earning him a sentence that reflects the depravity of his actions.

U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni handed down the 46-year sentence, followed by 10 years of supervised release, during which Benoit will be required to register as a sex offender. The court also ordered Benoit to pay full restitution to the victims. He pleaded guilty in May 2025 to five counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography, confessing during testimony at trial. Benoit has been held in custody since his arrest on February 15, 2022, and still faces related state charges in Central Berkshire District Court.

“This defendant’s conduct is nothing short of diabolical,” declared United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “He preyed on innocent young children, including two who were entrusted to his care, whom he repeatedly sexually abused. Each image that he captured will result in an eternity of trauma and revictimization on these children. Furthermore, he exploited countless children he never met and did not know from the comfort of his own home through his enormous collection of child sexual abuse material. He is every parent’s worst nightmare.”

The FBI’s investigation revealed the true scope of Benoit’s depravity. “What Justin Benoit admitted to is morally reprehensible,” stated Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “He raped and exploited three children under his care and documented the abuse to fuel his own sadistic desires.” Docks added, “This sentence is richly deserved and there’s no question the public is safer with Mr. Benoit behind bars, locked away where he can’t victimize anyone else’s child.”

The case began unraveling in November 2021 when law enforcement discovered Benoit had uploaded child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to the internet. A subsequent search of his Pittsfield residence in February 2022 yielded multiple electronic devices containing hundreds of CSAM files, alongside images and videos documenting Benoit’s abuse of children within his home. Investigators discovered files depicting sadistic sexual abuse of children as young as infants and toddlers. Crucially, approximately 130 files documented Benoit’s rape and sexual exploitation of two minor females and one minor male between February 2021 and February 2022. Evidence connected to the abuse – a pair of blue and white checkered boxer shorts and bedding – matched items depicted in the CSAM files.

Two of Benoit’s young victims were under the age of 12 at the time of the abuse, with one being in Benoit’s care during the incidents. The sentencing is a result of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 to combat child exploitation. The announcement was made jointly by U.S. Attorney Foley, FBI SAC Docks, and Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble, with assistance from the Pittsfield Police Department and Berkshire County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Luke A. Goldworm and Jessica L. Soto prosecuted the case.