Richmond, Vermont Man Sentenced to 120 Months for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials

RUTLAND - The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont stated that on September 2, 2026, Kenneth Beane, 37, of Richmond, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier to a term of 120 months' imprisonment to be followed by a 10-year term of supervised release. Judge Lanthier also imposed $5,000 in restitution for the victims of the offense, as well as assessments totaling $15,100. Bean previously pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse materials ("CSAM") on his personal electronic devices.

According to court records, law enforcement discovered that Beane was making CSAM available to others through a peer-to-peer file sharing application, and thereafter downloaded CSAM images from Beane's IP address. On September 8, 2025, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant on Beane's residence in Richmond, Vermont. During the search, law enforcement seized electronic devices with additional CSAM material, including images of prepubescent minors under the age of 12. In total, Beane possessed approximately 3,600 digital files containing CSAM.

Bean has a prior federal conviction for possession of CSAM stemming from a 2015 arrest. This prior conviction also involved Bean sharing CSAM materials via peer-to-peer networks. Bean received a one-year sentence in 2016, which was followed by a 5-year term of supervised release. Bean had multiple violations of his supervision, including using unapproved electronics and unauthorized contact with minors.

First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations and the Vermont Attorney General's Office.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Golubock. Kenneth Beane was represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.