A 43-year-old Haverhill man was recently sentenced to seven years in federal prison and five years of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.
Arthur Picanco was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Samantha D. Elliott in Concord, N.H. He was accused of driving on Nov. 14, 2024 to Manchester, N.H., after having arranged to pay $100 to have sex with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.
Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations in New England said, “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. He agreed on a price, he drove to New Hampshire and he arrived with cash in hand.”
“Individuals who travel across state lines to exploit children in New Hampshire will be found, prosecuted, and held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Creegan in a release. Picanco “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.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, agents posted and monitored an advertisement on a website commonly used to advertise commercial sex.