Maine Man is Sentenced for Sexually Exploiting 14-Year-Old Child
After a two-day jury trial, a Maine man received a lengthy prison sentence for the sexual exploitation of a young teenager.
A Westbrook Man Was Convicted on Child Sex Charges
Rayevon Deschambault, 28, of Westbrook is sentenced to 216 months in prison (18 years) for two counts of sexually exploiting a child, followed by 10 years of supervised release. He also received a concurrent 27-month sentence on an unrelated charge of distributing cocaine base, which stemmed from his sale of the drug to a confidential informant in 2019. Deschambeault was convicted on the sexual exploitation charge but pleaded guilty to drug trafficking.
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Maine Police Found Evidence of Explicit Videos on the Suspect's Phone
According to the U.S. District Attorney's Office, District of Maine, Deschambault sexually abused a 14-year-old victim while creating child sexual abuse materials. Videos the Westbrook man produced were found on his cellphone after it was seized by police in 2019. U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock said at the sentencing that the videos of sexually exploitative acts placed this crime "at a different level" because "videotaping is a potentially permanent visual record of the crime."
Sexual Exploitation Crimes Are Increasing Against Children
Reports of child sexual exploitation are increasing. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Cyber Tipline received 32 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation in 2022, which included more than 80,000 reports of online enticement of children for sexual acts. That's an increase of 82% from 2021 to 2022. Victimization can take place across every platform including social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms, and others.
Maine residents who have been sexually assaulted or abused, or if they know someone who has, can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
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Gallery Credit: Jordan Verge