Bridgeport, CT – April 2025 — A previously convicted sex offender from Sprague, Connecticut, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for child exploitation and issuing violent threats involving missing children.
Gregory Butts, 54, was sentenced to 240 months of imprisonment followed by 15 years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley. The ruling comes after a disturbing investigation that uncovered thousands of images of child sexual abuse and a pattern of manipulative and threatening behavior targeting minors.
According to court records, in November 2020, Butts called a number posted by friends and family of two missing juveniles in Colorado, falsely claiming to be with the children. In a recorded phone call, Butts claimed to have had sexual contact with the juveniles and threatened to harm them if the call was recorded or if police were contacted. He also threatened the woman who answered the call and attempted to coerce her into a sexual act in exchange for the children’s return. Authorities later confirmed that the children were never in danger and had not been abducted.
The FBI traced the call to Sprague, Connecticut. Butts, a registered sex offender on probation for a 2016 state conviction for illegal sexual contact with a child, was identified through voice recognition by a probation officer. A search of two properties tied to Butts led to the seizure of multiple devices containing over 10,000 images and videos of child pornography, along with sexually explicit communications with minors over social media platforms such as Snapchat.
Forensic analysis of the digital evidence revealed that Butts had engaged in repeated predatory behavior, including threats and extortion aimed at minors to obtain sexually explicit content. He was taken into federal custody on March 4, 2022, and pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on January 17, 2025.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s New Haven and Loveland (CO) Field Offices, in collaboration with the Connecticut Office of Adult Probation, Connecticut State Police, and the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nancy V. Gifford and Daniel E. Cummings, with assistance from the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of New London.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which focuses on identifying and prosecuting individuals involved in the sexual exploitation of children. For more information, visit justice.gov/psc.
To report suspected child exploitation, visit cybertipline.com.
Sources:
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Connecticut – justice.gov
- DOJ Project Safe Childhood Program – justice.gov/psc
