Mass. Man Faces Charges In Sex, Alleged Photos Of 14-Year-Old

BrocktonPost
BROCKTON--A Shrewsbury, Mass., man has been charged in federal court with engaging in sex with a minor in the Dominican Republic.
Conrad Gallant, 61, previously of Winchendon, Mass., and most recently of Shrewsbury, was charged in a criminal complaint March 7 with engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston.
The complaint alleges that on several occasions between February 2011 and February 2012, Gallant traveled to the Dominican Republic and engaged in sexual acts with a minor.
According to court documents, Gallant engaged in a sexual relationship with a then 14-year-old girl, promised and paid her money, and took photographs of her.
Also, according to the same court documents, Gallant asked the minor victim to bring him other female minors with whom he could have sex.
Gallant was arrested in the Dominican Republic March 4, 2012.
He arrived in the United States late March 6, and appeared in U.S. District Court in Miami March 7.
If convicted, Gallant faces up to 30 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
Law enforcement's ongoing efforts to target suspects involved in child exploitation offenses are part of Operation Predator, a nationwide initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers.
The U.S. Department of Justice encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form.
Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.
Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.