Salisbury woman pleads guilty to sexually exploiting infant

Dave Rogers, The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass.
·3 min read
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Jun. 28—SALISBURY — A local woman faces at least 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to sexually exploiting a child.

Desiree Daigle, 26, of Salisbury was arrested at an Amesbury home in November 2018 following an early morning raid by local and federal authorities.

"Ms. Daigle grossly exploited and sexually victimized an infant, took a video of her abuse which she shared with others," U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said. "Her conduct tears at the hearts of all parents.

Daigle pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in Boston.

"This kind of case drives my office's mission to do all that it can to prosecute individuals like Ms. Daigle, who prey on innocent and defenseless children," Rollins said. "Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to use every tool in our arsenal to investigate and prosecute those who exploit our most vulnerable and bring justice to victims."

Also arrested at the home was Thomas Cross. He faces possession, receipt and distribution of child pornography charges. The case against him remains open, according to a U.S. Attorney's Office spokesperson.

Both were arraigned in federal court.

Daigle is to be sentenced Oct. 24 by U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV.

The charge of sexual exploitation of children is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

In November 2018, Daigle was identified in online chats exchanging various child pornography files with Cross. Some of the images depicted an infant in her care, apparently taken in Daigle's home.

During the chats, Daigle discussed plans for Cross to meet the child in person so they could sexually abuse the child together.

Law enforcement officers, including FBI agents, executed a search warrant at Cross' home on Nov. 15, 2018, and seized several electronic devices, according to court documents.

When investigators examined the devices, they saw child pornography files and chats between Cross and a person he identified as Daigle in which they exchanged child pornography files.

Some of the images showed the infant and were apparently taken in Daigle's home.

Cross and Daigle admitted exchanging child pornography with each other, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a press release.

"What Desiree Daigle has admitted to today is enough to make anyone's stomach turn," said Joseph Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI's Boston Division. "There are few situations more urgent than when a child is physically at risk. People like her, who sexually exploit children, do serious lasting harm, and to engage in the manufacturing and trading of child sexual abuse material only perpetuates the abuse."

"The FBI is committed to finding such predators, locking them up, and ensuring the children they have victimized are safe," he said.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice program created in 2006, according to the release. The nationwide initiative is designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse.

For more information, see www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

Dave Rogers is a reporter with the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.

Dave Rogers is a reporter with the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.