Williamstown Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Possessing Sexually Explicit Materials of a Minor

RUTLAND - The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont stated that on October 13, 2026, Arick Miller, 39, of Williamstown, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier to a term of 120 months' imprisonment to be followed by a 15-year term of supervised release. Miller pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse materials (also known as child pornography) on June 4, 2026, and agreed, pursuant to the terms of a written plea agreement, to be sentenced for using a minor in the production of a sexually explicit video.

According to court records, Miller was arrested in July 2023 on unrelated charges, and his phone was seized and later released to a witness. The witness saw on Miller's phone sexually explicit images and videos of a minor who had been entrusted to Miller's custody, and reported what was seen to the police. After Miller was released from jail in mid-August 2023, Miller made several efforts to impede the investigation by destroying explicit photographs and videos, lying to investigators, coaching witnesses to lie in court, and creating fake text messages to impugn the motives of those he thought were talking to law enforcement. Investigators nevertheless found video and photographic evidence of Miller's abuse of this minor and Miller's attempt to conceal it on multiple devices and computer accounts seized during the investigation.

First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the collaborative investigatory efforts in this case of Homeland Security Investigations, the Vermont State Police, the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Vermont Department of Children and Families.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana E. Hill. Miller was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Sam Ansell.

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 U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.