Child Sexual Abuse Image Distributor Held Without Bail; U.S. Attorney Praises Parents

CONCORD, NH — A distributor of child sexual abuse materials and father of a trans athlete who attended his child’s sporting events, causing concern among other parents, was held after an arraignment for bail revocation Monday.

Marc A. Jacques, 50, of Newbury, was arrested on Friday after being accused in warrants of possessing more child sexual abuse materials and violating his self-surrender conditions. In U.S. District Court Monday, he was held pending the appointment of a new attorney and a future revocation hearing.

Marc Jacques pleaded guilty in March to a single felony count of distribution of child sexual abuse material after being found in possession of hundreds of photos and videos as well as dozens of cyber tips from social media companies dating back to 2018. He was sentenced to five years in prison as well as restitution fines of $26,500 to five girls identified as victims in the photos and videos in September.

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At the beginning of the school year, Marc Jacques began attending games involving his child, Maëlle Des Lauriers Jacques, a trans athlete and goalie on the Kearsarge girls’ soccer team.

During the season, parents of opposing teams wondered whether Maëlle Des Lauriers Jacques was legally allowed to play after the passage of HB 1205, a bill approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor barring biological boys from playing on teams for girls. Legal challenges have blocked the implementation of the law. Three weeks ago, several members of the Hillsboro-Deering High School girls soccer team sat out the game, due to safety concerns about playing with Maëlle Des Lauriers Jacques.

On Oct. 7, Marc Jacques was seen with a cellphone at a Hopkinton vs. Kearsarge soccer game. Later, parents learned he had just been convicted on a child sexual abuse material distribution charge and began requesting police look into whether he was violating his probation. Police, some parents said, as well as school officials, ignored their requests or downplayed Marc Jacques’ appearance at games.

A photo of him with the cell phone began circulating on Facebook and online.

Bishop Brady High School in Concord was scheduled to play at Kearsarge on Friday but canceled the game after not enough players agreed to participate. Despite school officials suggesting the students should play, five girls declined to play, so the game was forfeited.

According to U.S. Attorney Jane Young, federal officials began to hear from parents as early as August and started investigating the matter earlier this month.

Last week, the federal probation office issued two violation report warrants.

The first, issued Thursday, accused Marc Jacques of not refraining from possessing or using a computer, electronic communication or data storage device or media, or any Internet-capable media device unless preapproved by the probation office. The warrant stated, on or about Aug. 10 — a month before sentencing, and Sept. 16, “the defendant possessed and accessed an unauthorized flash drive/data storage device.” On Wednesday, a probation officer reviewed reports and determined Marc Jacques “possession and used an unauthorized data storage device” which contained “pornographic and nonpornographic images.” When confronted about the information, he was accused of admitting he possessed the device and the sexually explicit images but denied any were illegal images, the warrant said.

However, a superseding violation report was issued Friday. It noted, upon further inspection, “the defendant possessed and accessed videos that depicted images of child pornography in violation” on or about Aug. 10 and Sept. 16. The evidence proving the warrant’s claim included “screen shots that appeared to show the defendant accessing videos of child pornography” as well as the probation officer examining a flash drive which included videos that appeared to be child pornography.

Special conditions of post-incarceration release, according to documents, also required him “not go to, or remain at, any place where you know children under the age of 18 are likely to be, including parks, schools, playgrounds, and childcare facilities.” This provision in the court paperwork was not implemented by probation officials, which also caused concern.

Before the court proceedings started, Marc Jacques was seen weeping and holding his head in his hands.

One of his lawyers from the criminal process was in court but requested removal from the probation violation case. Judge Paul Barbadoro granted the request.

Marc Jacques then requested an attorney, which was granted. Barbadoro instructed court officials to book another date for a probation revocation hearing after Marc Jacques had a new attorney who would be brought up to speed about the case.

Both Barbadoro and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey Weiland stated, in all their years involved in the judicial system, they had never seen a situation like this one.

After the hearing, Young said the federal probation officers were in charge of tracking Marc Jacques and ensuring he was living by his conditional release. According to officials, he was released on some of the strictest conditions possible. Since he was out on bail before the conviction, he was allowed more self-surrender time to get his affairs in order, and that was not uncommon, she said, since he was already out on bail and had been complying.

Young said there was dialogue between probation and her office after parents started reporting Marc Jacques and asking, what she called, “valid questions,” about whether he could be at games.

“From my position, that’s not only disturbing, it’s, quite frankly, unacceptable,” she said.

Each case, she noted, had to be looked at on its own merits, and conditions were tailored that way. The documentation her office showed he was abiding by conditions. Young said it varied whether her office would take on cases from other jurisdictions. The crimes, she noted, often where in more than one state, federal, or involved extensive Internet activity.

Young praised the parents involved in raising questions and contacting officials about the case.

“I commend those parents for calling here,” she said, “and I would ask if there is a parent that has concerns, that they continue to call.”

Young said there may be times when the concerns or questions were not in the realm of her office’s duty or mission. Still, she said, they would try to help.

Several parents from Hopkinton, who raised concerns about the issue of Marc Jacques attending his child’s soccer games, will be attending a meeting on Tuesday to express their concerns about the lack of action by school officials.

The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Maple Street School.

The parents accused administrators of ignoring the issue and failing to protect the players. At the Hopkinton game, Marc Jacques was not removed, asked to leave, or trespassed despite his felony conviction and his presence violating his supervised conditions, they said.

At the time of Marc Jacques’ sentencing, he worked as a family giving coordinator at Dartmouth College. He was fired nine days after his sentencing when the college’s human resources department learned of the conviction, according to The Dartmouth, the college newspaper. College officials stated Marc Jacques never told them about the case — despite being required to as part of employee policy, and they learned about it from the U.S. Attorney’s Office press release.

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