Federal Jury Convicts Former Childcare Provider of the Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material

Federal Jury Convicts Former Childcare Provider

of the Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material

CONCORD - Krystal Baird, 40, of Keene, was convicted after a five-day trial in U.S. District Court of aiding and abetting the production of child sexual abuse material, United States Attorney Erin Creegan announces.

United States District Court Judge Steven J. McAuliffe scheduled the sentencing hearing for February 11, 2026. The conviction subjects Krystal Baird to a statutory minimum penalty of 15 years and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, followed by a period of supervised release upon completion of her prison term. Krystal Baird has been in federal custody since March of 2024.

According to the evidence admitted at trial, on January 29, 2024, Krystal and Paul Baird were babysitting a 9-year-old child. After the child was given THC-infused candy, Krystal Baird directed Paul Baird to try to get the child to play with his genitalia. Paul Baird took at least one sexually explicit image of the victim's genitalia. Krystal Baird then photographed Paul Baird sexually assaulting the victim, thus producing child sexual abuse material. Paul Baird later uploaded links to three sexually explicit images of the minor victim on a dark website dedicated to child pornography. The evidence showed that the couple had been drugging and abusing the victim since at least August of 2023.

Before her arrest, Krystal Baird was a licensed childcare provider.

The Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation. The Keene Police Department provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anna Krasinski and Heather Cherniske 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 better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.