Stephen James Lemelin, a former Burlington High School wrestling coach, was sentenced on March 26 to two years in prison and three years of supervised release for sending obscene material to an undercover agent posing as a minor on Kik messenger.
Lemelin, age 51, was convicted in December 2025 of three counts of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. He was arrested and charged in May 2024 and later indicted by a federal grand jury the following month. The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to address child sexual exploitation online.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Lemelin sent sexually explicit messages and three separate photographs of his genitals over several months to someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl. He also proposed meeting the purported child for sex during these exchanges.
The sentencing announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division. Customs and Border Protection as well as police departments from Arlington, Boston, Brookline, Burlington, Salisbury, and Winchester assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David G. Tobin and Eric L. Hawkins prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006—to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated federal, state, and local efforts.
