Mark Hulett, 48, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography
A Vermont man whose initial 60-day sentence for sexually abusing a young girl caused a public outcry has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.
Mark Hulett, of Ferrisburgh, was sentenced in federal court on Thursday.
Chief US District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford also ordered Hulett to serve a ten-year term of supervised release, and to pay a $100 special assessment.
According to court records, the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which reported that a file depicting child pornography had been uploaded to an Internet search engine.
Subsequent investigation revealed that the file had been uploaded from Hulett’s home in Ferrisburgh.
On May 14, 2019, members police executed a search warrant at his residence and recovered Hulett’s computer and phone, which turned out to contain 2,200 images depicting children in sexual situations.
Under questioning, Hulett said he had visited a 'nudism website,' according to an affidavit.
Hulett was among eight men who were arrested at the time as part of 'Operation Bada-Bing' that was carried out by multiple federal and state agencies.
Vermont Judge Edward Cashman (left) sparked a firestorm in 2006 when he sentenced Hulett (pictured in court at the time) to just 60 days in prison for sexually abusing a girl for four years
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ShareIn August 2019, Hulett accepted a plea deal under which he faced up to 20 years in prison.
In a previous case, Hulett pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault and lewd and lascivious conduct with a child for abusing a girl over a span of four years beginning when she was six years old. He was sentenced in 2006 to just 60 days.
Hulett wasn't eligible for sex offender treatment in prison because the Corrections Department concluded that he was not likely to reoffend.
Judge Edward Cashman explained the sentence by saying the best way to ensure public safety was to remove him from prison, so he could receive treatment. A lengthy prison term without treatment could turn him into a more dangerous offender, he said.
After rules were changed so Hulett could receive in-prison treatment, Cashman resentenced him to three to 10 years, and he ended up serving five years.
Cashman's initial ruling sparked widespread condemnation and calls for his removal from the bench, leading then-Fox News host Bill O'Reilly to label him 'the worst judge in the USA.'
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