Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Paying Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity over Skype

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WILLIAM GAUVIN, 43, of Andover, Massachusetts, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for paying a minor to engage in sexual activity over Skype.

According to court documents and statements made in court, between approximately October 2016 and March 2017, Gauvin, using the name “Will Wiggins,” solicited a 17-year-old boy in Connecticut to engage in sexually explicit conduct over Skype.  In exchange for the minor victim transmitting visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct to Gauvin, Gauvin paid the minor victim more than $3,000 using PayPal.  Gauvin also asked the minor victim to persuade his brother, who was 15, to engage in sexually explicit conduct in exchange for money.

Gauvin resided in Worcester, Massachusetts, at the time of the criminal conduct.

The investigation revealed that Gauvin also paid other minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct online.

GAUVIN was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on November 1, 2017.  On September 25, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography.

Gauvin, who is released on a $100,000 bond, was ordered to report to prison on February 15, 2019.

This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Connecticut State Police, with the assistance of the Worcester Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy V. Gifford.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.