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Mass. man gets 46 years after chronicling his sexual abuse of kids
Justin Benoit, 39, documented his sexual abuse of several children, one of whom was in his care at the time.
A Pittsfield man was sentenced to 46 years in prison this week for sexually abusing children in his home, documenting his crimes, and possessing hundreds of files of other child sexual abuse material (CSAM), U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley announced.
A judge handed down the sentence to Justin Benoit, 39, on Thursday in federal court in Springfield. The sentence will be followed by 10 years of supervised release, during which time Benoit must register as a sex offender. He was also ordered to pay the full amount of restitution requested by the victims, according to Foley’s office.
Benoit has been in custody since his arrest on Feb. 15, 2022. He pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography in May 2025, during testimony from the government’s final witness at trial. Officials say Benoit also has several related state charges pending in Central Berkshire District Court.
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“This defendant’s conduct is nothing short of diabolical,” Foley said in a statement. “He preyed on innocent young children, including two who were entrusted to his care, whom he repeatedly sexually abused. Each image that he captured will result in an eternity of trauma and revictimization on these children. Furthermore, he exploited countless children he never met and did not know from the comfort of his own home through his enormous collection of child sexual abuse material. He is every parent’s worst nightmare. It is our hope that this sentence brings some measure of justice to the victims in this case, and protects other children from further exploitation at his hands.”
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According to prosecutors, in November 2021, local law enforcement learned that Benoit had put CSAM online. Investigators searched his home in February 2022 and seized multiple electronic devices that contained hundreds of CSAM files as well as images and videos showing Benoit sexually abusing children at his residence.
Benoit also possessed hundreds of other images and videos of child sexual abuse, including several that depicted “sadistic sexual abuse of children as young as infants and toddlers,” according to Foley’s office.
There were also 130 files documenting Benoit’s rape and sexual exploitation of two girls and one boy on multiple occasions between February 2021 and February 2022, investigators said. A pair of blue and white checkered boxer shorts and bedding found at Benoit’s home were identical to those in the files, according to prosecutors.
Two of Benoit’s minor victims were younger than 12 years old when he documented their abuse — one of whom was in his care at the time.
“What Justin Benoit admitted to is morally reprehensible. He raped and exploited three children under his care and documented the abuse to fuel his own sadistic desires,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “This sentence is richly deserved and there’s no question the public is safer with Mr. Benoit behind bars, locked away where he can’t victimize anyone else’s child.”
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