Colchester Man Sentenced For Possession Of Child Pornography

          Tristram J. Coffin, United States Attorney for the District of Vermont, stated that Andrew Kittell, 37, of Colchester, Vermont, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Christina Reiss, to 13 months in prison for possession of child pornography.  Additionally, Kittell was sentenced to five years of supervised release to be served after the completion of his prison term.

          According to Court records, an investigator with the Vermont Attorney General’s Office detected a computer that was offering to share child pornography on the Internet.  The investigator downloaded a video file from the computer that contained child pornography.  The investigation was then referred to the federal agency, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”).  HSI Special Agents obtained a federal search warrant for Kittell’s home during which Kittell’s computer and an external hard drive were seized.  An HSI forensic expert determined that the external hard drive contained over 150 videos of child pornography.

            Kittell was arrested on January 22, 2014, and appeared before the United States District Court that same day.  On January 30, 2014, a federal grand jury handed down an indictment against Kittell for possession of child pornography.  Kittell plead guilty to the single count indictment on July 14, 2014.

            This case was investigated by the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations.  The United States Attorney, Tristram J. Coffin, commends those agencies for their work.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney, Nancy J. Creswell.  Kittell was represented by Ernest M. Allen III.