Convicted sex offender Zachary Cote pleads guilty to contempt
Jun. 20—Zachary Cote, a 26-year-old former Franklin man, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison Thursday in connection with his online activities while under court supervision, officials said.
Cote was already serving 60 months for possession of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). His latest conviction will add 18 months to that time in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young said.
"The defendant flagrantly violated his conditions of release after his sentencing for possessing CSAM," Young said. "While the court's conditions of bail did not deter the defendant's criminal conduct, the additional 18 months in prison will."
Cote pleaded guilty to contempt based on his violation of the court's order setting his conditions of release, which included that he not commit any violations of state or federal law and that he refrain from possessing computers or accessing the internet.
Cote had previously pleaded guilty to possession of CSAM in 2021, and a magistrate judge ordered him released subject to certain conditions. Cote was later sentenced to 60 months on the CSAM charge in 2022.
"The fact that this sex offender continued to engage in criminal conduct while waiting to head to prison is deeply concerning, and demonstrates a blatant disrespect for the law," said Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI's Boston Division.
After Cote was sentenced in 2022 but before he surrendered to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons,
federal authorities received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that indicated that a user on Snapchat had uploaded two images of apparent CSAM in February 2022. The IP address matched Cote's residence and investigators identified him as the user of the account.
He remains in the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
