An Acton man was convicted on child pornography and sexual exploitation charges following a federal trial in Boston, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Patrick Baxter, 44, faced a jury who found him guilty of one count each of possession of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, and sexual exploitation of children.
After the two-day trial, U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled Baxter's sentencing for January 8, 2024. Baxter was initially arrested and charged in December 2022. The case evidence showed Baxter to have actively downloaded and stored child sexual abuse material on at least three separate occasions in the summer of 2021. A computer hard drive seized from his residence was found to quickly contain approximately 427 videos featuring the sexual abuse of minors, as reported by the Department of Justice.
"It is difficult to find the words to capture how abhorrent the defendant’s conduct was, and today a jury agreed," said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy in a statement released after the conviction. Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, said, "These videos represent unimaginable pain forced upon utterly vulnerable victims, and we’re grateful for the jury’s swift verdict." The case underscores a broader commitment by law enforcement agencies to aggressively pursue those involved in the exploitation of children.
The charges carry substantial sentences—up to 20 years for the receipt of child pornography, up to 10 years for possession, and up to 30 years for sexual exploitation of children. The Project Safe Childhood initiative, under which this case was brought, aims to even more vigorously protect children from such abuse, pooling resources from federal, state, and local levels.
The prosecution received valuable assistance from the Melrose Police Department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David G. Tobin and Jessica L. Soto of the Major Crimes Unit were responsible for prosecuting the case. Detailed information on Project Safe Childhood can be found at its official website.
