West Springfield Man Sentenced for Child Pornography Charges

BOSTON – A West Springfield man was sentenced today in federal court in Springfield on child pornography charges.

Luke Gagnon, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to seven years in prison and 10 years of supervised release. In September 2020, Gagnon pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Gagnon was arrested and charged in January 2020.

After an investigation into child pornography distribution, agents executed a search warrant at Gagnon’s residence in West Springfield and seized a hard-drive from a desktop computer belonging to Gagnon which contained several videos and images of child pornography. In addition, from September 2019 to January 2020, Gagnon knowingly distributed child pornography.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Frederick J. Regan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office; West Springfield Police Chief Paul Connor; and South Hadley Police Chief Jennifer Gundersen made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle L. Dineen Jerrett of Mendell’s Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. 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/.