Harwich resident and Level 3 sex offender Jonathan Fleischmann, 37, has been sentenced to a decade in federal prison following his guilty plea to possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Fleischmann's history of offenses involving minors enhances the gravity of this sentence, handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs in Boston, as the U.S. Attorney's Office reported. In addition, he faces a five-year term of supervised release after his prison term and has been ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution.
Upon pleading guilty last July, Fleischmann was already entangled in serious state court charges, including an attempt to kidnap a 16-year-old girl at gunpoint. Caught downloading hundreds of CSAM files from the dark web at his workplace in Brewster, Fleischmann's co-workers brought the activity to the attention of law enforcement after witnessing a cell phone in the process of downloading these files, their names consistent with exploitative material. Approached by officials, Fleischmann, hiding the device beneath a bathroom sink at first denied but then produced the cellphone for the authorities.
"Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness with which we treat these crimes and our commitment to protecting children from individuals like Mr. Fleischmann, who refuse to learn or take steps toward remediating their vile tendencies," said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley about the case in a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office's news release. Homeland Security Investigations New England Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol emphasized that "Child sexual abuse material immortalizes the abuse of a child and those who download, trade, and possess CSAM are perpetuating the trauma those children experienced."
Fleischmann's litany of past offenses includes indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 in 2006, as well as both open and gross lewdness and possession of child pornography in 2017, which he accessed in a Honey Dew Donuts parking lot. Incarcerated in federal custody since his arrest in May 2023, Fleischmann will first serve a state prison term of 12 years for the Yarmouth home invasion case before concurrently serving the federal sentence. The investigation revealed Fleischmann accessed a dark web service dedicated to trading in child pornography on his cellphone, even while on cash bail with GPS monitoring.
Assistance in Fleischmann's prosecution was provided by the Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office and the Brewster Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the federal case, brought forth as a part of Project Safe Childhood, which is a nation-wide initiative to address the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
