Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Vermont Man Pleads Guilty To Failure To Register As A Sex Offender
CONCORD – A Vermont man pleaded guilty today in federal court for his failure to register as a sex offender as required by the federal Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
David Courtemarche, age 45, pleaded guilty to one count of failing to register as a sex offender. U.S. District Court Judge Paul J. Barbadoro scheduled Courtemarche’s sentencing for March 2, 2026.
According to the charging documents and statements made in court, in 2003 the defendant was convicted in Vermont of sexual assault involving a victim under 16 years of age. Due to this conviction, SORNA and related state laws required the defendant to register in each state where he resides or is employed. SORNA gives an individual three days in which to register. The defendant’s Vermont registration paperwork notified him of these requirements and the defendant claimed he lived in Vermont. However, by at least August of 2022, he began working in New Hampshire and, by at least November 2023, he began living in New Hampshire. Though the defendant lived and worked in New Hampshire and knew that state and federal law required him to register as a sex offender in New Hampshire, he did not do so.
The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, at least 5 years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The United States Marshals Service investigated this case. Valuable assistance was provided by the New Hampshire State Police, the Littleton Police Department, and the Lancaster Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Hunter is prosecuting 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.