Chicopee Man Sentenced for Child Pornography Offense

BOSTON – A Chicopee man was sentenced today in federal court in Springfield for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Herve Plasse, 67, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to three years in prison and five years of supervised release. On May 9, 2022, Plasse pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.

In July 2015, a search of Plasse’s residence revealed over 100 images of child pornography on his computer, including images of prepubescent girls engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Plasse admitted that he had accessed a website on an encrypted network for the purpose of viewing child pornography.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Curley of Rollins’ Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.