Bristol Man Charged with Possession of Child Pornography

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Scott Remick, 46, of Bristol, Vermont, was charged by criminal complaint in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont, with one count of possession of child pornography.  Remick made his initial appearance to answer the complaint on July 8, 2021, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle.  On July 9, 2021, Judge Doyle denied the government’s motion for detention and ordered Remick released on conditions.  Remick is next scheduled to appear in Federal court on July 26, 2021.

According to court records and proceedings, on June 16, 2021, a source of information (SOI), who is a private software developer and security analyst and who is part of a group of individuals involved in analyzing a specific piece of software with a specific security vulnerability, identified a computer with the security vulnerability (the Target Computer).  The SOI accessed the Target Computer, including the contents of an encrypted volume mounted on it.  The SOI viewed some of the image files in that container and discovered that they depicted child pornography.  The SOI also created a text file that contained directories and file names of files located in the encrypted volume.  The file names indicated that the files contained sexually explicit content involving children.  

The SOI reported its findings to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and to the Vermont State Police (VSP).  VSP reached out to special agents with the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).  After HSI spoke with the SOI and conducted additional investigation into the suspected user of the Target Computer, Scott Remick, agents obtained a warrant to search remotely electronically stored information at Remick’s residence, and a second warrant to search Remick’s residence.  

On July 3, 2021, HSI agents executed the remote search warrant and recovered images of child pornography, as well as items associated with Remick.  On July 7, 2021, HSI agents executed the warrant to search Remick’s residence.  Agents determined that a self-built computer at the residence was the same one searched pursuant to the remote search warrant.  Agents found additional images of child pornography on the self-built computer.

Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt emphasized that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.  If convicted, Remick’s sentence will be determined by the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the impact, if any, of any mandatory minimum prison terms applicable to any count of conviction.  

Acting U.S. Attorney Ophardt commended the efforts of Homeland Security Investigations in the investigation of Remick.  

Barbara A. Masterson, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont, is handling the prosecution of Remick.  The Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Vermont has been appointed to represent Remick.  

Acting U.S. Attorney Ophardt noted that 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and Child Exploitation Obscenity Section, Criminal Division (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.