The Attorney General’s Office announced that Ian Quinlan, 50, of Montpelier, Vermont, was arraigned on five felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material. The charges brought against Mr. Quinlan are the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of residential and online date search warrants conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), including personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Montpelier Police Department, and Burlington Police Department.
The investigation was initiated when VT-ICAC received several CyberTipline reports that an individual was suspected of possession of images of child sexual abuse material on an electronic device, which was reported by Microsoft after the child sexual abuse materials were uploaded into their Bing web search engine. Based on the criminal investigation of that tip, Mr. Quinlan was identified as the owner of the electronic device associated with the upload and possession of the child sexual abuse materials images to the Bing search engine.
Mr. Quinlan pleaded not guilty at his arraignment today in Vermont Superior Court, Washington Unit, Criminal Division. The Court, Judge John Pacht presiding, ordered conditions of release which restrict Mr. Quinlan’s access to minors, provide for limited access to the internet and use of certain electronic devices.
VT-ICAC investigates cases of child sexual exploitation occurring over the internet, including the production and online distribution of child sexual abuse materials. VT-ICAC also provides forensic examination services, technical assistance, law enforcement training, and public education and outreach.
Every child deserves a safe childhood. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) is the nation’s centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children. Anyone can make reports of suspected online enticement of children for sexual acts, child sexual molestation, child sexual abuse material, child sex tourism, child sex trafficking, unsolicited obscene materials sent to a child, misleading domain names, and misleading words or digital images on the internet. To make a report, call the 24-hour call center at 1-800-843-5678 or visit https://report.cybertip.org.
Additionally, if you are recovering from child sexual exploitation, you do not have to navigate it alone. NCMEC can help with emotional and peer support, removing content from the internet, and locating mental health professionals. For more information, please visit https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/csam-resources or call the 24-hour call center at 1-800-843-5678.
The Attorney General’s Office emphasizes that individuals charged with a crime are legally presumed innocent until their guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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