District of New Hampshire | Lancaster Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of Child Abuse Material

CONCORD – A Lancaster man has been convicted in federal court of possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announced.

Olin Garneau, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Landya McCafferty to 14 months in federal prison and 15 years of supervised release. Garneau pleaded not guilty to the charges and pleaded guilty in February to a misdemeanor charge of possession of child pornography.

“Those who distribute CSAM are causing further harm to children who have already endured unspeakable trauma,” said U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold these offenders accountable for their crimes and provide justice for their survivors.”

“Garneau thought he was talking to another online predator who shared his interest in child sexual abuse. Instead, he found an undercover HSI task force officer,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol of Homeland Security Investigations in New England. “HSI is proud to work with our partners every day to find the criminals who produce, traffic and possess child sexual abuse material. Above all, our goal is to protect children.”

Garneau corresponded with an undercover police officer via an online chat platform. During the chats, Garneau discussed topics related to child sexual exploitation with the officer. Garneau also sent the undercover officer an image of CSAM and a link to approximately 100 additional CSAM files online. More CSAM was found on Garneau’s cell phone after a search warrant was executed at his residence.

Homeland Security Investigations led the federal investigation. The Nashua Police Department, the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the New Hampshire State Police, and the Lancaster Police Department provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey Weiland is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Department of Justice’s Child Abuse and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to investigate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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