Lanesborough Man Convicted on Child Porn Charges

The Berkshire District Attorney’s Office has secured the conviction of a Lanesborough man on child pornography charges.

According to a media release from the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office, 37-year-old Robert Dufur pled guilty on Thursday to two counts of possession of child pornography and single counts of disseminating harmful matter to a minor, exhibiting a child in the nude, and exhibiting a child in a sexual act.

Judge John Agostini sentenced Dufur to four to five years in state prison and five years’ probation after his time has been served. The state’s sentencing guidelines recommend three to five years in state prison.

The Newbury Police Department led an undercover investigation of Dufur in which the suspect sent obscene material to an officer posing on social media as a young teenage girl. Pittsfield Police arrested Dufur on December 1st, 2018.

Police found Dufur in possession of child pornography and evidence that he sent inappropriate photos to a young girl in another state and solicited the girl for obscene material in return. None of the victims lived in Berkshire County.

I thank the Newbury Police and the multiple assisting law enforcement agencies for their hard work in developing this case and bringing Mr. Dufur into custody… The internet creates an easy avenue for perpetrators to victimize children. We ask parents to keep an eye on their teen’s social media use and we ask teens to be cautious when interacting with people they do not personally know online. ~ District Attorney Andrea Harrington

The Berkshire State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office, Adams Police, Lanesborough Police, Georgetown Police, North Shore Police, Pittsfield Police, and Michigan State Police assisted the Newbury Police Department in the investigation.