A Drayton, N.D., man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually exploiting a 15-month-old child and possession of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors.
Laurence Pelletier Jr., 31, was also sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Ralph Erickson to a lifetime of supervised release after his imprisonment. Pelletier pleaded guilty to the charges in May.
The incidents occurred in October 2005 when a 7-year-old girl disclosed being molested by Pelletier. The North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation obtained a search warrant for Pelletier's residence and found images of child pornography on his computer.
Agents seized electronic media and a digital camera, which forensic analysis revealed images of child pornography, one involving the sodomy of a 15-month-old child.
"The defendant's sadistic sodomy of a 15-month-old baby epitomizes the darkest side of human behavior," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Puhl said.
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"It's as egregious as I've ever prosecuted."
The case also was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
