Sex Offender Sentenced to 21 Months for Failing to Register While Living in Stephentown

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Walter Boutwell, age 56, was sentenced today to serve 21 months in prison for failing to update his sex offender registration after moving to Stephentown, New York from Massachusetts.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and United States Marshal David McNulty. 

United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also sentenced Boutwell to serve 5 years of supervised release, to begin after his release from prison. 

Boutwell was designated a Level 3 Sex Offender – the highest level – by the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board following his 1982 conviction for aggravated rape. 

Federal law requires a sex offender to register where he or she resides, is employed, or is enrolled as a student, and to keep any registration current.  Boutwell registered at an address in Pittsfield, Massachusetts on April 21, 2015.  By June, 2015, Boutwell was living in Stephentown, New York and did not update his registration. 

This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service Sex Offender Investigation Branch, North East Region, and the United States Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Solomon B. Shinerock. 

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood.  In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse.  Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.