A former resident of Newbury, Marc Jacques, was indicted this week for possessing child sexual abuse material, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announced on Mar. 20.
The case is significant because Jacques had previously pleaded guilty to distributing child sexual abuse material and was sentenced to five years in federal prison. The new indictment alleges that he committed further offenses while awaiting the start of his sentence.
According to charging documents, Jacques pleaded guilty on March 18, 2024, to one count of distribution of child sexual abuse material. He was sentenced on September 9, 2024, to 60 months in prison and ordered to surrender by December 2, 2024. While still on release, a U.S. Probation Officer discovered unauthorized activity on electronic devices monitored by software and recovered an unauthorized thumb drive from Jacques’ residence in Newbury. A federal search warrant led to the discovery of videos depicting child sexual abuse on the device. Jacques was arrested for a bail violation related to this conduct on October 18, 2024, and began serving his original sentence.
If convicted of the new charge, Jacques faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years and up to twenty years in prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge according to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
Authorities emphasized that all details in the charging documents are allegations and that Jacques is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation with prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the Department of Justice.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child exploitation through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
