Baltimore, Maryland – Today U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced defendant Paul Francis Blaisse, 65, of Walkersville, Maryland, to seventeen years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release for one count of coercion and enticement of a minor. Judge Maddox also ordered Blaisse to pay $83,694 in restitution to his victims and, after his release from prison, to register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student.
The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Nicole M. Argentieri; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and J. Charles Smith III, State’s Attorney for Frederick County, Maryland.
According to court documents, beginning as early as 2011, Blaisse engaged in live video chats with minor children who were engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Mr. Blaisse exchanged messages with hundreds of individuals on video chat sites who offered access to minor children via webcam. During these chats, Blaisse discussed his sexual interest in children and distributed child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office identified Blaisse after receiving a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an individual using an IP address associated with Blaisse’s residence uploaded CSAM to a video chat account.
In October 2018, Blaisse used an online video chat application, to entice a minor child in the Philippines to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Records of Blaisse’s activity show that he communicated with an adult in the Philippines who arranged for the minor child to participate in a video chat with Blaisse. In addition to these chats, Blaisse’s electronic devices contained hundreds of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including prepubescent minors.
U.S. Attorney Barron commended the FBI Baltimore Field Office, the Justice Department’s High Technology Investigative Unit, and the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Leading the prosecution of this case are Department of Justice Trial Attorney Eduardo Palomo, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Aubin, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joyce King. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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