A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to decades in federal prison for sexually abusing and raping children in his home and filming the abuse, the U.S. Attorney said.
Justin Benoit, 39, of Pittsfield, was sentenced to 46 years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, during which time Benoit will be required to register as a sex offender, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement on Thursday.
Benoit was also ordered to pay the full amount of restitution requested by the victims. U.S. District Court Judge Mark Mastroianni handed down his sentence.
Benoit pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography in May, during testimony from the government’s final witness at trial.
Benoit was arrested on Feb. 15, 2022 and has been in custody since that time. According to court records, Benoit has several related state charges pending in Central Berkshire District Court.
Benoit documented his repeated rape and abuse of minor victims and had “hundreds of files” depicting the sexual abuse of children, Foley said.
“This defendant’s conduct is nothing short of diabolical,” Foley said. “He preyed on innocent young children, including two who were entrusted to his care, whom he repeatedly sexually abused.”
“Each image that he captured will result in an eternity of trauma and revictimization on these children,” Foley said. “Furthermore, he exploited countless children he never met and did not know from the comfort of his own home through his enormous collection of child sexual abuse material.”
“He is every parent’s worst nightmare,” the U.S. Attorney said. “It is our hope that this sentence brings some measure of justice to the victims in this case, and protects other children from further exploitation at his hands.”
In November 2021, local law enforcement learned that Benoit had uploaded child sexual abuse material to the internet.
During a search of Benoit’s home in February 2022, multiple electronic devices were seized which revealed hundreds of child pornography files as well as images and videos documenting Benoit’s sexual abuse of children at his home.
He was immediately taken into custody.
Further analysis of Benoit’s devices revealed that he had hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse, including files that depicted sadistic sexual abuse of children as young as infants and toddlers, prosecutors said.
Benoit had approximately 130 files documenting his rape and sexual exploitation of two minor girls and one minor boy on multiple separate occasions between February 2021 and February 2022, Foley said.
A pair of blue and white checkered boxer shorts and bedding found at Benoit’s home were identical to those in the files documenting the sexual abuse, prosecutors said.
Two of the minor victims Benoit abused were younger than 12 years old when he produced child sexual abuse material of them, one of whom was in Benoit’s care at the time of the incidents.
“What Justin Benoit admitted to is morally reprehensible. He raped and exploited three children under his care and documented the abuse to fuel his own sadistic desires,” Ted Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, said in a statement.
“This sentence is richly deserved and there’s no question the public is safer with Mr. Benoit behind bars, locked away where he can’t victimize anyone else’s child,” Docks said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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