Charleston Man Sentenced for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office stated that on October 20, 2023, Daniel Blow, 41, of Charleston, Vermont was sentenced to a 10-year term of imprisonment, following his guilty plea to possessing child pornography, also referred to as child sexual abuse material. The 10-year sentence was the mandatory minimum required by law due to Blow’s prior felony conviction in New York State related to possession of child sexual abuse material. United States District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered Blow to serve an eight-year term of supervised release following his release from prison.

According to court records, a social media company reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a user had uploaded 41 files of suspected child sexual abuse material. NCMEC referred the tip to the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Records from the social media company provided IP address information for the user which corresponded to the residence of Daniel Blow in Charleston. A check of Blow’s criminal history revealed his prior conviction in New York. Agents with Homeland Security Investigations conducted additional investigation and obtained a federal search warrant for Blow’s residence. During the execution of the search warrant, a Vermont State Police forensic examiner discovered images of child sexual abuse material on Blow’s cellular phone and his desktop computer. On a small video recording device, agents discovered a covertly recorded video of a teenage child changing clothes, with Blow visible at the beginning of the video while hiding the camera, and at the end of the video while retrieving the camera. In addition, agents seized multiple rifles and shotguns from Blow’s residence, including an M-4 style Colt rifle. 

U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory and collaborative efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Vermont State Police. 

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Ophardt. Blow is represented by the Assistant Federal Public Defender Mary Nerino.

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.