Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charge

BOSTON – An Auburn man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Worcester to a child pornography charge.

Christopher Rondeau, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for March 8, 2023. Rondeau was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in November 2020 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2020. He has remained in federal custody since his arrest.  

During a search of Rondeau’s residence in November 2020, a cell phone was found containing images and videos of child pornography. In 2016, Rondeau was convicted of receipt of child pornography and sentenced to 68 months in prison and seven years of supervised release. He was released from federal custody in August 2019 and was on supervised release at the time of his November arrest. 

Due to Rondeau’s prior conviction, the charging statute provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Auburn Police Chief Todd. R. Lemon; and Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danial Bennett of Rollins’ Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.