Level 1 Sex Offender from Attleboro Arrested and Charged with Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

BOSTON – An Attleboro man, who is a Level 1 sex offender, has been arrested and charged in connection with possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Eric Brault, 31, was charged with possession of child pornography and will appear in federal court in Boston at 3 p.m. today.  

According to the charging documents, an investigation into an internet-based communications application used for the trafficking of CSAM allegedly identified Brault as a likely user of the application who participated in groups where CSAM was disseminated. During a search of Brault’s residence this morning, a review of his phone allegedly revealed that Brault was a member of several groups on the platform that exchanged CSAM. Additionally, more than 200 video and image files, most of which appear to depict CSAM, were allegedly located within a photo album on Brault’s phone.

Brault was previously convicted in Attleboro District Court to Indecent Assault and Battery on a Child Under 14 Years Old and was subsequently sentenced to 18 months of probation.

Brault faces a sentence of at least 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, at least 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 Joshua S. Levy and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Attleboro Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Soto of the Major Crimes Unit 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.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.