CONCORD – Michael Dukette, 31, of Nashua, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in federal court to possession of child sexual abuse material, United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in June of 2018 an individual reported potential child exploitation images to the Hudson Police Department. The individual had lent an iPhone to another person and after it was returned, the woman found an email containing four videos that showed Dukette masturbating while standing over a sleeping child. Dukette subsequently admitted to police during voluntary interviews that he made and kept the videos. Further investigation revealed the child in the videos was five years old at the time the videos were made.
Dukette currently is scheduled to be sentenced on August 23, 2022.
“Protecting children from exploitation is an important priority of the law enforcement community in New Hampshire,” said U.S. Attorney Farley. “Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement partners, this individual is being held accountable for his disturbing and illegal conduct. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who commit crimes related to sexual abuse material.”
“Cases like this emphasize how critical the community is in our investigations. Without the assistance of the citizen who brought this material to police attention, the evidence of this exploitation may have gone unnoticed and unreported,” said Matthew Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge for the Homeland Security Investigations’ Boston Field Office.
This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Hudson Police Department and the Nashua Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Dronzek.
In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
###