Auburn Man Sentenced to 97 Months in Federal Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

           Montgomery, ALABAMA – Today, United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross announced the sentencing of an Auburn, Alabama man for possession of child pornography.  On May 15, 2024, a federal judge in Montgomery ordered 33-year-old Maxime Tessier, to serve 97 months in prison. The judge also ordered that Tessier serve five years of supervised release following the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

            According to Tessier’s plea agreement and other court records, in 2022, law enforcement received a tip that there were images of child pornography being shared online from an account linked to Tessier’s Auburn residence. On November 15, 2022, federal agents executed a search warrant at that location. Agents seized and examined various electronic devices belonging to Tessier. They found, stored on the devices, numerous images containing suspected child pornography. During his January 16, 2024, plea hearing, Tessier specifically admitted that some of the images were sexually explicit depictions of children under the age of 12.  

            The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Auburn Police Department investigated this case, which Assistant United States Attorney Tara S. Ratz prosecuted.