CONCORD, N.H. — A Newbury man was sentenced in federal court Sept. 9 for distributing child sexual abuse material after an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in New England and local partners uncovered messages sharing the material.
Marc Jacques, 50, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release. The defendant was ordered to pay $26,500 in restitution. On March 18, Jacques pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography.
Between 2018 and 2022, Jacques’ IP address had been reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in connection with at least 40 CyberTips related to the online sexual exploitation of children. Between Nov. 24 and Dec. 6, 2021, Jacques uploaded 49 files of apparent child sexual abuse material to the social media platform Kik. HSI special agents executed a federal search warrant on Jacques’ residence and person in June 2022. HSI’s forensic examination of Jacques’ electronic devices revealed the presence of over 200 files of apparent child sexual abuse material and chats between Jacques and others related to the sexual exploitation of children and the sharing of the material. In at least one chat conversation, Jacques sent videos of child sexual abuse to others.
“The defendant’s online behavior was flagged repeatedly by systems designed to detect predators sharing child sexual abuse materials. Today’s sentence is the result of the collaboration of private industry and the dedicated work of law enforcement who work together every day to see justice for the children victimized when these horrific images are produced,” said HSI New England Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol.
“Survivors of child sexual abuse material suffer from revictimization and live everyday with fear that their abuse is being shared on the internet,” said U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young. “Law enforcement in the District of New Hampshire will continue to utilize every resource available to disrupt the distribution of CSAM and incarcerate offenders convicted of these horrific crimes.”
HSI New England’s Manchester Resident Agent in Charge office led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Nashua Police Department and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department.
HSI is a global leader in the fight against child exploitation. Last year, HSI special agents dedicated 1.2 million case hours toward investigating child exploitation. This heinous crime harms the most vulnerable in our society: our kids. As technology evolves and more people have access to the internet, children are at a greater risk than ever. HSI’s special agents and analysts around the world are dedicated to countering this threat.
Report suspected child exploitation to the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP or through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's website.