Staff Report
A North Attleborough man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison on charges that he had collected and distributed materials depicting child sexual abuse and animal cruelty, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Samuel E. Maigret, 29, had long-standing interests in collecting and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and animal crush videos (depicts serious harm to animal and is obscene), according to Acting United States Attorney Sara Minor Bloom.
Maigret was sentenced Tuesday, April 8, by U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy to 60 months in prison, to be followed by 10 years of federal supervised release.
He pleaded guilty on April 30, 2024, to charges of distribution of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography, access with intent to view child pornography, distribution of an animal crush video, and transfer of obscene material (animal crush video). No plea agreement was filed in this matter.
In September 2021, a court-authorized search of Maigret’s then-Pawtucket residence and personal digital devices led to the discovery of approximately 3,000 videos and images depicting CSAM, including videos of adult males involved in sexual acts with infants, and evidence that Maigret used online applications to distribute CSAM and a video that depicts an individual causing serious injury to and the apparent death of a dog.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise M. Barton.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.