CONCORD, N.H. — A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to federal prison for traveling to New Hampshire with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.
Arthur Picanco, 43, of Bradford, Massachusetts, was sentenced by to 7 years in federal prison and 5 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan said in a statement on Monday. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Samantha Elliott handed down his sentence.
Picanco previously pleaded guilty to one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
“Individuals who travel across state lines to exploit children in New Hampshire will be found, prosecuted, and held accountable,” Creegan said. “The defendant deliberately traveled from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, intending to purchase sex from someone he believed to be a minor. Today’s significant sentence recognizes the seriousness of his conduct.”
Special Agent in Charge Michael Krol for Homeland Security Investigations in New England echoed Creegan’s words.
“Picanco actively chose to pursue a child. He believed he was chatting with a trafficker offering him a chance to assault a child for a fee, and he made deliberate choices to make it happen,” Krol said in a statement. “He agreed on a price, he drove to New Hampshire, and he arrived with cash in hand. Now, after today’s sentencing, he’ll serve serious federal prison time.”
“Through undercover operations like this, we can find and arrest child predators before they have a chance to prey on real children,” Krol said.
On Nov. 14, 2024, in a proactive law enforcement operation, agents posted and monitored an advertisement on a website commonly used to advertise commercial sex, Creegan said.
The advertisement contained images of what appeared to be two minor females and a contact phone number.
Law enforcement agents monitored the phone line and used it to communicate with potential sex buyers, including Picanco, prosecutors said. Picanco arranged to pay $100 to have sex with a person whom Picanco believed to be a 14-year-old girl.
The undercover agent then provided Picanco with the address of a hotel in Manchester, and Picanco traveled from Massachusetts to New Hampshire to the hotel, prosecutors said.
Once at the hotel, Picanco confirmed he had the cash and wanted to go up to the hotel room to meet the 14-year-old girl.
Prosecutors said when police arrested Picanco, they found that he had a condom and over $100 in cash in his pocket.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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