A Massachusetts magician has been sentenced to more than six years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of transporting child pornography and illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place.
Scott Jameson, a 47-year-old Sutton man who has worked more than two decades as a magician, appeared in U.S. District Court in Boston Thursday. The office of acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said he received a sentence of 78 months in prison and another five years of supervised release.
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Prosecutors said the investigation is tied to a February 2022 report from Action Pour Les Enfants, a Cambodian organization aimed at preventing child sex abuse and exploitation, that Jameson allegedly acted inappropriately with young boys in Cambodia.
Investigators learned Jameson traveled to Cambodia again in August 2022. When he returned to the U.S., officials stopped him at Boston Logan International Airport. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, during a search of his belongings, agents found sexually explicit videos and images of boys as young as 5. One video appeared to have been made during his trip, prosecutors said.
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"Scott Jameson thought that by travelling overseas to Cambodia in order to sexually exploit children, he could get away with it. He was wrong," Levy said in a statement. "Sexual exploitation of children is unconscionable, regardless of where the victims live. Our office works with international authorities regularly to make sure that individuals like Mr. Jameson are held accountable for their criminal conduct. We will not cease in our efforts to bring individuals who harm children to justice."
"This predator with a passport traveled halfway around the world and engaged in illicit sexual conduct with a child and then brought back home evidence of that sexual abuse so he could relive it for his own sick gratification," added Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Boston Division. "Child sexual exploitation is abhorrent anywhere it occurs, and the FBI will continue to go after Americans who travel abroad for that purpose. We're determined to bring them to justice for the damage they've done and prevent them from victimizing anyone else's child."
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673, and Massachusetts provides this list of statewide and resources for sexual assault survivors.
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During interviews with investigators, Jameson said that he has worked as a magician for over 20 years and regularly performed for elementary school-aged children at libraries and private events across New England. He initially denied ever abusing children, but prosecutors said in follow-up interviews he admitted to creating the video found during the search at Logan Airport.
Anyone with concerns about this case is encouraged to call 617-748-3274.
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