September 25, 2009
CANADIAN MAN PLEADS GUILTY IN CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CASE
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont, stated that on September 25, 2009, Sebastien Boucher, 32, pled guilty in the United States District Court for the District of Vermont to a single-count Information charging him with the possession of child pornography. Chief U.S. District Court Judge William K. Sessions III ordered that Boucher remain released under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office until his sentencing hearing, which has been scheduled for January 4, 2010.
Boucher, who is a Canadian citizen, faces a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a $250,000 fine, as well as a 5-year mandatory minimum term of supervised release. The actual sentence will be determined in accordance with the federal Sentencing Guidelines. Boucher’s conviction may also result in his deportation from the United States.
According to court records, on December 17, 2006, Boucher and his father crossed the Canadian border into the United States at Derby Line, Vermont. During a border inspection of Boucher’s laptop, law enforcement agents discovered video files on the computer’s “Z drive” that showed prepubescent children being sexually abused. As a result, agents arrested Boucher.
At the time of his arrest, agents turned off Boucher’s laptop and seized it for later examination. When they subsequently turned the computer on in order to perform a full forensic examination of its contents, agents discovered that they could no longer access the “Z drive” where the child pornography files were located. Agents learned that the “Z drive” was protected by encryption algorithms from the computer software, “Pretty Good Protection,” which required a password to access the “Z drive.”
Pursuant to a plea agreement filed with the District Court, Boucher has agreed to provide the government access to all the encrypted files on his laptop.
United States Attorney Tristram J. Coffin commended U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations for their hard work on this matter. The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Timothy C. Doherty, Jr. The defendant is represented by Attorney James Budreau from the law firm Carney and Bassil in Boston, Massachusetts.
United States Attorney Coffin noted that this prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
