1,400 images of child pornography leads to federal prison sentence

A man who shared sexually explicit images of prepubescent girls online with an undercover federal law agent he thought to be the parents of a 13-year-old girl has been sentenced to five years in federal prison, announced Rhode Island United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

David C. Duquette, 54, of Scituate, pleaded guilty on November 29, 2021, to possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., to 60 months of incarceration to be followed by eight years of federal supervised release.

According to charging document, in February 2019, a Homeland Security Investigations agent engaged in a series of online exchanges with Duquette, posing as both the mother and father of a 13-year-old girl. In those exchanges, Duquette admitted that, in the past, he communicated online with young teenage girls, and that some of them shared sexually explicit images. The agent suggested he too shared an interest in viewing child pornography. Duquette sent him two sexually explicit images depicting prepubescent girls.

Duquette was arrested on April 17, 2019. His cellphone was found to contain approximately 1,400 images of child pornography.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Terrence P. Donnelly.