A local magician who spent over two decades entertaining children across New England has now been handed a 78-month prison sentence for child pornography offenses and engaging in illicit sexual conduct in Cambodia, as revealed by a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts. Scott Jameson, a 47-year-old Sutton man, pleaded guilty last November after an investigation sparked by a Cambodian non-profit led to disturbing discoveries, including a video depicting sexual abuse of a young boy.

The investigation into Jameson began in 2022 when Action Pour Les Enfants, a Cambodian NGO dedicated to combating child abuse, alerted U.S. authorities, following which an investigation revealed Jameson provided gifts and money to children and their families in Cambodia and even stayed in the same room with them. When Jameson returned from another trip to Cambodia in October of that year, he was stopped at Logan Airport where authorities found evidence of his crimes; in his possession was a hard drive that contained a video he produced that depicted the genitals of a seven-year-old boy, which he admitted to filming, he also admitted that his laptop had been used to view images of child sexual exploitation material, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office press release.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns sentenced Jameson to prison and five years of supervised release, additionally ordering him to pay $20,000 in special assessments. Citing the sentencing, Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy stated, "Scott Jameson thought that by traveling overseas to Cambodia in order to sexually exploit children, he could get away with it. He was wrong." Levy stressed the commitment of his office, working with international authorities, to hold individuals accountable for such criminal conduct, "We will not cease in our efforts to bring individuals who harm children to justice," as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen conveyed the unwavering determination of the FBI to combat child sexual exploitation, "This predator with a passport traveled halfway around the world and engaged in illicit sexual conduct with a child and then brought back home evidence of that sexual abuse so he could relive it for his own sick gratification," Cohen stated in the U.S. Attorney's Office press release, vowing that the FBI will continue to pursue Americans who travel abroad for such heinous purposes, upon the predator's return to Boston, Cohen promised justice for the damage they've done and efforts to prevent future victimization of any child. Concerned individuals regarding the Jameson case have been urged to contact authorities, information which has been provided in the announcement by Levy and Cohen.

This case is part of a broader nationwide initiative known as Project Safe Childhood, launched by the Justice Department in 2006 to address the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Valuable aid in Jameson's investigation was also acknowledged by the U.S. Attorney's Office, with contributions from Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and local police departments, ensuring this magician's tricks have come to an end with judicial intervention enforcing a stint behind bars, ensuring the protection of children stateside and abroad.