Vermont Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Child Sexual Offenses

CONCORD, N.H. - A Vermont man is set to spend 10 years in prison for attempting to arrange sexual encounters with officers in Portsmouth and Lebanon pretending to be children online.

According to United States Attorney Scott W. Murray's office, Joseph Norko, 51, of Saint Johnsbury, Vermont, was sentenced on Friday to serve 121 months.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Norko’s charges were based on two online undercover investigations conducted by the Portsmouth Police Department and Lebanon Police Department.

In July of 2017, the defendant responded to an online advertisement posted by a Portsmouth police officer purporting to offer sex with a 12-year-old girl. In September of 2017, he responded to an online advertisement posted by a Lebanon police officer purporting to be a 15-year-old girl. The defendant then traveled from Vermont to New Hampshire in order to engage in sexual contact with the person he thought was 15 years old.

Norko pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted online enticement and one count of interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual activity on February 22. His prison sentence will be followed by ten years of supervised release.

“Online exploitation of children is one of the most disturbing crimes we investigate. It’s always very satisfying when our close coordination with our federal and state partners successfully brings the predators who engage in this behavior to justice,” said Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Boston.

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