BRISTOL — A Bristol man will spend decades behind bars and in the supervision of federal authorities because he possessed child pornography.
Cody Clark, 27, was sentenced this past Thursday, Oct. 18, to serve 120 months in prison after his guilty plea to one count of receipt of child pornography, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Burlington. At a hearing in U.S. District Court in Burlington, federal Judge Christina Reiss also ordered Clark to serve a 30-year term of supervised release, and to pay a $100 special assessment.
According to court records and proceedings, in the summer of 2017, Google transmitted a “Cybertip” to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a user, later identified as Clark, had uploaded images of child pornography to Clark’s Google account. NCMEC forwarded the tip to the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The task force investigated the tip and obtained a warrant to search Clark’s residence in the Kountry Trailer Park.
In the course of a Sept. 2, 2017, search of Clark’s home, police seized several computers and other devices. Officers also discovered a minor child in his bed. Police said that Clark admitted that he produced and possessed images of child pornography, that he knew he had a problem and needed help, and that he had inappropriately touched young boys in his care, though he claimed that such touches were non-sexual. A forensic examination of his devices confirmed that Clark had produced images of child pornography, and possessed images that he had downloaded from the internet.
U.S. Attorney Christina E. Nolan commended the efforts of the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations in the investigation and prosecution of Clark.
“Let this case serve as a reminder that those who sexually exploit children will be targets for federal prosecution, and a top priority for federal investigators,” Nolan said. “Society should be measured by how it protects its most innocent and vulnerable members, and the Vermont law enforcement community will bear this in mind as we relentlessly pursue those who harm children and advocate for serious sentences. As Judge Reiss said in imposing sentence, this defendant’s conduct was ‘unforgiveable and a violation of trust.’”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara A. Masterson handled the prosecution of Clark. Clark was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Elizabeth Quinn.