Maine man sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for child pornography

BANGOR, Maine — A southeastern Maine man was sentenced Friday in federal court for possessing child pornography.

This sentence resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Maine State Police’s Computer Crimes Task Force.

Daniel Lajoie, Jr., 46, of Bowdoinham, Maine was sentenced to 57 months in prison on one count of possession of child pornography. Lajoie pleaded guilty to the charge on October 8, 2015.

According to court records and proceedings, between April 29 and June 3, 2012, LaJoie used a computer and peer-to-peer software to share videos of child pornography. An HSI special agent, acting in an undercover capacity, downloaded seven of those videos and traced them to a computer Lajoie used at a residence in Oakland, Maine.

Authorities executed a search warrant at his home and seized his computer and other media. Upon examination of the computer investigators found more than 50 images and 110 videos depicting child pornography.

LaJoie’s prison sentence will be followed by five years’ supervised release and he must register as a sex offender. There is no parole from the federal prison system.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.