St. Lawrence County Man Pleads Guilty to Downloading Explicit Images, Videos of Sleeping 9-Year-Old from Dark Web

A 19-year-old St. Lawrence County man has pleaded guilty to receiving and possessing child pornography, federal prosecutors announced Monday.

Robert LaVair, of Louisville, admitted in court that he downloaded multiple images and videos of child pornography from the dark web in January 2024. Prosecutors also stated that he possessed explicit images and videos of a nine-year-old child that he had recorded while the child was asleep.

LaVair is scheduled to be sentenced on July 18, 2025. If the court accepts the plea agreement, he will serve between 14 and 15 years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release. He will also be required to pay restitution to the victims and register as a sex offender upon his release.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the New York State Police. The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a federal effort to combat child exploitation.