A former Newbury resident, Marc Jacques, was indicted this week for possessing child sexual abuse material, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announced on Mar. 20.
The case highlights ongoing efforts to address child exploitation and enforce federal laws against repeat offenders. Jacques, age 52, had previously pleaded guilty on March 18, 2024, to one count of distributing child sexual abuse material. He was sentenced on September 9, 2024, to five years in federal prison and ordered to surrender by December 2, 2024.
While still on release before reporting to prison, a U.S. Probation Officer discovered that Jacques had engaged in unauthorized activity on monitored electronic devices. The officer recovered an unauthorized thumb drive from Jacques’ Newbury residence. A federal search warrant executed on the device led to the recovery of videos depicting child sexual abuse. Jacques was arrested for a bail violation related to this new conduct on October 18, 2024, and began serving his original sentence.
If convicted of the new charge, Jacques faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years and up to twenty years in prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge according to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
Officials emphasize that all details in charging documents are allegations and that “the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation with prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the Department of Justice.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice—to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies.
