Rutland Resident Sentenced to a Year and a Day in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

Eric S. Miller, United States Attorney for the District of Vermont, stated that Kenneth Beane, 27, of Rutland, Vermont, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford, to a year and a day in prison for the possession of over 7500 images and videos of child pornography. Beane was also sentenced to five years of supervised release after the completion of his prison term.

According to Court records, as part of an investigation into peer-to-peer file sharing and internet-facilitated child exploitation, agents from Homeland Security Investigations identified Beane as associated with the receipt and distribution of child pornography. On May 20, 2015, agents executed a search warrant at Beane’s residence in Rutland and seized a series of electronics suitable for data storage, including laptop computers, cellular phones, thumb drives, and other storage devices. Imaging of one of the laptops revealed over 7500 videos and images of violent sexual abuse of children.

On June 15, 2015, Beane was indicted by a federal grand jury on a one-count indictment charging him with Possession of Child Pornography, including the possession of at least one visual depiction that involved a prepubescent minor who had not attained twelve years of age. On June 16, 2015, the defendant appeared before United States Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy who released the defendant on conditions pending trial. Beane pled guilty to the indictment on December 3, 2015, before Judge Crawford, who continued Beane’s release. Upon sentencing today, Beane was ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on June 14, 2016.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. The United States Attorney, Eric S. Miller, commends the agency for its work in this critical area. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abigail Averbach. Beane was represented by Elizabeth Quinn of the Office of the Federal Public Defender.