Wilmington Man Sentenced on Second Child Pornography Possession Conviction

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Donald Ray Boles, 59, of Wilmington, Vermont, was sentenced on April 17, 2017, in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont, to serve 120 months in federal prison after his conviction at trial for possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III also ordered Boles to serve a 10-year period of supervised release and to pay a $100 special assessment.

According to court records and proceedings, on September 6, 2011, the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a warrant to search Boles’ residence for evidence of child pornography. During the search, numerous computers and other digital media were seized. During a forensic examination conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, approximately 140 images of child pornography were found on various computers and hard drives from the residence. Boles’ computers also contained thousands of images of child erotica, as well as sexually explicit cartoons, anime, and graphic stories. The computers also revealed that Boles communicated over the Internet with other offenders about their shared interest in preschool and toddler girls.

This was Boles’ second conviction for possession of child pornography. In 1999, then-U.S. Customs Service agents executed a search warrant of Boles’ residence for child pornography. Boles was charged and eventually pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography in United States District Court in Vermont. In June 2001, Judge Sessions ordered Boles to serve 15 months imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release.

Acting United States Attorney Eugenia A.P. Cowles commended the efforts of the FBI, the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the New York State Police in the investigation and prosecution of Boles. The prosecution of Boles was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barbara A. Masterson and Abagail E. Averbach. Boles was represented by Assistant Federal Defenders Steven L. Barth and Elizabeth K. Quinn.

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.