October 26, 2009

MILTON MAN SENTENCED FOR POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Peter Bearor, 35, of Milton, Vermont, was sentenced on October 26, 2009, in United States District Court in Brattleboro, Vermont, to serve 40-months imprisonment and a five (5) year term of supervised release following his guilty plea to one count of possession of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B). Senior United States District Judge J. Garvan Murtha also ordered Bearor to pay a $100 special assessment.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers in Louisiana, operating in an undercover capacity, conducted a search for child pornography on a peer-to-peer file-sharing network. During this search, officers discovered that the defendant possessed child pornography which was made available to other users of the file-sharing network. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Bearor’s residence and discovered images of child pornography on his computer.

United States Attorney Coffin commended the efforts of the West Monroe, Louisiana Police Department, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in conducting the investigation and prosecution of Bearor.

The prosecution of Bearor was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Masterson. Bearor was represented by Assistant Federal Defender Elizabeth Mann.

U.S. 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. Attorney’s 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.