Michael Dupont, Child Porn Possession, Vermont 2014

Michael Dupont, 37, of Westfield, Massachusetts, has been sentenced to serve 36 months in prison for his crimes related to child exploitation. The sentence was handed down on February 24, 2014, in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont.

United States District Judge William K. Sessions III also ordered Dupont to serve a five-year term of supervised release and to pay a $100 special assessment. This harsh punishment was a result of Dupont’s guilty plea to one count of possession of child pornography.

According to court records, Dupont used the Internet to access chat rooms where he believed teenage girls to be. He would communicate with them in the chat rooms and by private messaging. The chats became sexual in nature, and the girls would send him naked pictures of themselves. Images of one girl were found on Dupont’s computer.

United States Attorney Coffin commended the work of the Homeland Security Investigations, Department of Homeland Security, and the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force for their role in bringing Dupont to justice.

Assistant Federal Defender Steven L. Barth represented Dupont in court. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Barbara A. Masterson.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force’s nationwide initiative, Project Safe Childhood, designed to protect children from online 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.

Dupont’s sentence serves as a reminder that those who exploit children will be held accountable. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this story and provide updates as more information becomes available.

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