Swanton Man Sentenced To Prison For Child Pornography Offense

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Timothy Keevan, 49, of Swanton, Vermont, was sentenced on September 15, 2014, in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont, to serve 48-months imprisonment and a 15-year period of supervised release following his conviction on one count of accessing child pornography with the intent to view it, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B).  Chief Judge Christina Reiss also ordered Keevan to pay a $100 special assessment.

According to court records and proceedings, Keevan, an operations support technician with U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service who works in the shipping and receiving warehouse in St. Albans, Vermont, used a work-issued computer to access websites that displayed images of child pornography.  Keevan’s activities were discovered because his computer, like all government issued computers, was continually monitored for non-work related or other inappropriate activity.  The computer was confiscated and the images of child pornography were discovered on it. 

In 2011, Keevan was charged with sexual assault of a child after a child who had been a player on the Little League team Keevan was coaching in 1997 disclosed that Keevan had fondled him during a sleep-over at Keevan’s house.  Keevan ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was placed on probation.  He was on probation when he used his work computer to access with intent to view child pornography. 

United States Attorney Coffin commended the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory K. Null for the Northeast Region, the Vermont State Police, the United States Secret Service, and the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in the prosecution of Keevan. 

The prosecution of Keevan was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara A. Masterson.  Keevan was represented by Federal Defender Michael L. Desautels. 

U.S. Attorney Coffin 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.