A Pittsfield man has been sentenced to 46 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting minor children and possessing child sexual abuse material. The sentencing took place in Springfield federal court, where U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni also ordered 39-year-old Justin Benoit to serve 10 years of supervised release after his prison term and to register as a sex offender. Restitution will be paid in full to the victims.
Benoit pleaded guilty in May 2025 to five counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography during the government’s final witness testimony at trial. He was arrested on February 15, 2022, and has remained in custody since then. Related state charges are still pending against him in Central Berkshire District Court.
According to court records, local law enforcement first learned about Benoit’s actions when he uploaded illegal material online in November 2021. A search conducted at his residence three months later uncovered hundreds of files containing images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including sadistic acts involving infants and toddlers. Authorities also found evidence that Benoit had produced approximately 130 files documenting his rape and exploitation of two minor females and one minor male between February 2021 and February 2022. Two victims were under age twelve at the time; one was under Benoit’s care.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley commented on the case: “This defendant’s conduct is nothing short of diabolical. 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,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “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.”
Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division, stated: “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 Federal Bureau of Investigation, 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.”
The investigation involved cooperation among several agencies including the FBI Boston Division, Massachusetts State Police, Pittsfield Police Department, Berkshire County District Attorney’s Office as well as Assistant U.S Attorneys Luke A Goldworm (Project Safe Childhood Coordinator) and Jessica L Soto.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 aimed at protecting children from exploitation by coordinating efforts among federal, state, and local authorities for investigating such crimes (www.projectsafechildhood.gov/).
