West Rutland, Vermont Man Charged with Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Materials

BURLINGTON - The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont stated that Andrew Buzzell, 34, of West Rutland, Vermont, has been charged by criminal complaint with distribution of child pornography, also known as Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).

On August 10, 2026, Buzzell appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, who ordered that Buzzell be released subject to, among other conditions, home incarceration, which restricts Buzzell to 24-hour-a-day lock-down at his residence.

According to court records, in or around November 2024, Buzzell is alleged to have distributed materials containing child pornography, also known as Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) through a free instant messaging mobile application. According to a Cyber Tip submitted by the messaging platform to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), account user "kinkyvt1231" shared four files to other users via private chat messaging on the messaging platform, including, one .mp4 video file categorized as apparent child pornography. Law enforcement's investigation revealed that the IP address and email address submitted with the Cyber Tip are both associated with Buzzell.

In June 2026, an FBI Online Covert Employee (OCE) working within a different application posted a message offering sex that was "Taboo Young." During that conversation with the OCE, Buzzell solicited photos of the supposed nine-year-old girl who was available for sex and made various statements to the OCE discussing the specifics of a desired sexual encounter. Open-source information identified Buzzell as being an elder at a church in West Rutland, Vermont, and as the state director of the Child Evangelism Fellowship of Vermont.

The United States Attorney's Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that Buzzell is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Buzzell faces up to 20 years' imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the investigatory efforts of the FBI, including the Violent Crimes Against Children Unit.

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Arra. Buzzell is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Barclay Johnson.

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.