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Middlesex County resident David Cannon of Lexington, age 61, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for trying to pay for sex with a teenager, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts announced on Tuesday, April 9.
According to federal officials, in November 2022, Cannon replied to an online advertisement that offered commercial sex with two young girls. He then began texting an undercover agent posing as the seller and offered $200 for sex with either the 12-year-old or 14-year-old girl, adding that he would purchase whoever was ready first.
Eventually, he agreed to pay for sex with the fictitious 14-year-old girl, officials added.
A short time after this, Cannon traveled to a greater Boston hotel and met with the undercover agent posing as the seller. There, he confirmed he had money to pay for the sex act and took a hotel key from the "seller" while adding that the agent should tell the child to "expect a man who looks like Santa Claus."
Authorities later found lubricant and condoms in Cannon's vehicle and also found dozens of photos and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children after later searching his cell phone. Additionally, text messages regarding Cannon's affinity for child sex abuse material were also found during this search.
In addition to his prison sentence, Cannon will serve five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $17,500 in restitution to the victims of the child sexual abuse material he had possessed on his phone.
Cannon had already been a registered sex offender at the time of his arrest following his conviction of indecent assault on an 11-year-old child on three occasions in 2019.
Michael J. Krol, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, condemned Cannon's actions.
"Today’s sentence keeps this serial predator off the streets and away from children. We are grateful to our partners who worked to make this operation possible as we all work together to end human trafficking," Krol said.
Anyone who has experienced commercial sex trafficking or knows someone who may have been impacted by it can contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov, officials said.
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