Lee Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Prison For Child Exploitation

CONCORD – A Lee man was sentenced today in federal court for possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.

Joshua Olsen, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Steven J. McAuliffe to 136 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release. Olsen was also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution.

“Our office, together with our state and federal law enforcement partners, remains dedicated to ensuring the protection of our children and communities from predators like the defendant,” U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young said. “Today’s lengthy sentence sends a strong message that the sexual exploitation of children in New Hampshire will not be tolerated.”

“The sexual exploitation of children by predators like Joshua Olsen requires decisive action which is why the FBI acted so quickly in this case,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Today’s sentence certainly does not erase the harm Mr. Olsen inflicted upon his victims, but it does ensure that others will be protected from his abuse.” 

Olsen engaged in sexually explicit online chats with an undercover federal agent in November of last year.  During the chats, Olsen distributed images of prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct to the undercover officer.  A phone later seized from Olsen was found to contain additional CSAM.  Olsen also made admissions during a voluntary interview with law enforcement regarding his sexual abuse of an eight-year-old child.  This conduct is the subject of separate state charges.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Lee Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey Weiland prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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