Bristol Man Indicted for Production of Child Pornography

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on September 7, 2017, a Federal grand jury in Burlington returned a single-count indictment, which charged Cody Clark, 26, of Bristol, Vermont, with production of child pornography. If convicted, Clark faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, a mandatory minimum term of five (5) years and up to life on supervised release, and fines of up to $250,000.

According to court records, the investigation into Clark began when Google sent a “Cybertip” to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that the user of one of its platforms had uploaded images of child pornography. NCMEC forwarded the Cybertip to the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), which conducted further investigation into Clark, the suspected user of the Google account. The ICAC obtained a warrant to search what it believed to be Clark’s residence. During execution of the search warrant, images of child pornography were found on Clark’s computer. The images identified in the Cybertip were among the images found on Clark’s computer. Clark told law enforcement that he produced these images of child pornography and he used them for sexual gratification.

Acting U.S. Attorney Eugenia A.P. Cowles emphasized that the indictment is an accusation only and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. If convicted, Clark’s sentence will be determined by the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

Acting U.S. Attorney Cowles commended the efforts of the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, University of Vermont Police Services, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Vermont Attorney General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara A. Masterson is handling the prosecution of Clark. Assistant Federal Public Defender Elizabeth K. Quinn represents Clark.

Acting U.S. Attorney Cowles noted that this prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.