Level II sex offender arrested again on child porn charges

BOSTON – An Auburn man who is currently on supervised release for a child pornography conviction was arrested Friday for a child pornography offense.

Christopher Rondeau, 35, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of possession of child pornography. Following an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy, Rondeau was detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for Nov. 13, 2020.

According to the charging documents, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Rondeau’s residence and found a cell phone containing images and videos of child pornography hidden under a dresser in his bedroom. In 2016, Rondeau was convicted of receipt of child pornography and sentenced to 68 months in prison and seven years of supervised release. He was released from federal custody in August 2019 and is registered as a Level II sex offender in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Due to Rondeau’s prior conviction, the charging statute provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; David Magdycz, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Auburn Police Chief Andrew J. Sluckis, Jr; and Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danial Bennett of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.