BOSTON – A Salisbury woman was sentenced today to 17 years in prison for the sexual exploitation of an infant.
Desiree Daigle, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 17 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. On June 24, 2022, Daigle pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting a child.
“There are no words to adequately capture how truly reprehensible this conduct is. Ms. Daigle violated the trust placed in her by a friend and sexually abused a defenseless infant in her care. That she documented the abuse for the perverse gratification of herself and others is truly disgusting. Ms. Daigle is a danger to our communities and deserves every single day of this prison sentence,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “This case is a stark reminder that child predators come in all genders and that children of all ages can be victimized. While nothing will ever alleviate the pain and devastation Ms. Daigle inflicted upon the victim and their family, we hope today’s sentence provides some measure of accountability. My office and our law enforcement partners will never stop working to ensure the safety of our children by identifying, prosecuting and removing predators like Ms. Daigle from our communities.”
“The actions of Desiree Daigle were beyond heinous. She violated the trust placed in her by her friends and sexually exploited a baby in her care. No child should ever be subjected to this, and no sentence can erase the harm inflicted upon this child and her family,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Today’s sentence keeps Daigle exactly where she belongs, behind bars, being held to account for her depraved actions.”
In November 2018, Daigle was identified in online chats exchanging various child pornography files with another individual. Some of the images depicted an infant in Daigle’s care, taken in Daigle’s home. During the chats, Daigle discussed plans for the other individual to meet the child in person so that they could sexually abuse the child together. That individual is also facing federal charges.
U.S. Attorney Rollins and FBI SAC Bonavolonta made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Amesbury, North Andover, Salisbury, Arlington, Billerica, Methuen and Haverhill Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Chief of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.