Jury Finds Springfield Man Guilty of Using the Internet and Traveling to Attempt to Engage in Sex with a Minor

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a jury in Hartford has found EUGENE C. BOISVERT, 40, of Springfield, Massachusetts, guilty of one count of using the Internet to attempt to persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity, and one count of interstate travel to attempt to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. The trial began on May 4, and the jury returned the verdicts this afternoon after deliberating for approximately six hours.

According to the evidence at trial, between June 26 and August 6, 2010, BOISVERT engaged in approximately 40 Internet conversations with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl, but who was, in fact, an undercover Milford Police officer working with the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force and posing as the girl. BOISVERT repeatedly enticed and persuaded the “girl” to engage in sexual activity with him by telling the girl that she was his girlfriend, that she could trust him to never hurt her, and by suggesting that he would marry her one day.

The Internet “chats” also revealed that BOISVERT knew it was illegal for him to engage in a sexual relationship with a minor and was concerned about being caught by law enforcement. In one chat that occurred on July 27, 2010, BOISVERT said that he “was scared you (the “girl”) were trying to set me up with the comps [sic]” and that he “never had a gf (girlfriend) 14 before but I am ok with it...just don’t be tricking me with the cops.”

BOISVERT eventually arranged with the “girl” to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. On the morning of August 6, 2010, BOISVERT traveled from Springfield to a location in Milford, Connecticut, where he had previously arranged to meet the “girl,” and was arrested.

“I want to commend the FBI, Milford Police, and all the members of the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force who are patrolling the Internet in an effort to protect children from harm,” stated U.S. Attorney Fein.

When he is sentenced by United States District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant, BOISVERT faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years on the Internet enticement count, and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years on the interstate travel count. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

BOISVERT has been detained since his arrest.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, and the District of Connecticut’s “Operation Constant Vigilance,” which are aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force, which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Milford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Deborah R. Slater and Krishna R. Patel.

The Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force, which is housed at the main FBI office in New Haven, investigates crimes occurring over the Internet, including online crimes against children, and provides computer forensic review services for participating agencies. The task force currently includes members from the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, and the Hamden, Hartford, Milford, and New Haven Police Departments. For more information about the task force, or to report child exploitation crimes, please contact the FBI at 203-777-6311.

As part of its public outreach efforts, the Department of Justice has launched a website that highlights the work of the U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country. This new site, the “Briefing Room,” is available at www.justice.gov/usao/briefing_room/index.html and offers news, videos, photos, statistics, and other information on significant issues. Each month, the Briefing Room will feature a different Department of Justice priority area. The inaugural edition of the Briefing Room is dedicated to Project Safe Childhood (“PSC”). The site includes press releases on significant PSC cases, statistics on convictions and sentences in PSC cases, and prevention and Internet safety resources.