22nd Judicial District Attorney Collin Sims reports that on Thursday, April 10 a Washington Parish jury unanimously convicted 28-year-old Benjamin Hart of multiple felony offenses involving the sexual exploitation of a Washington Parish child. Judge William Burris presided over the four-day trial.
Hart, of New Hampshire, was found guilty of Sexual Battery of a Juvenile Under the Age of 13, Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes, and Computer Aided Solicitation of a Juvenile Under the Age of 13. The jury returned a unanimous verdict after just 20 minutes of deliberation.
Evidence presented at trial established that Hart met the victim—a 10 year-old boy from Washington Parish—in 2020 while playing Xbox online. (The child and his family are not being identified.)
Their communication continued over time and moved to Snapchat, a messaging platform known for automatically deleting content after it is viewed. Hart used the app to send the child a sexually explicit image of himself, resulting in the solicitation charge.
Hart ultimately convinced the victim to meet him in person. He then began traveling to Washington Parish regularly, where he stayed for extended visits and sexually abused the child. Much of the abuse took place inside Hart’s 18-wheeler. (Hart was an over the road truck driver, working out of his home state of New Hampshire.)
Prosecutors showed that from 2020-2022, Hart gave the child expensive gifts, including a cell phone, gaming system, and money via mobile payment apps. He then used those gifts as leverage to coerce the child into further sexual acts - conduct that formed the basis of the trafficking charge.
The jury heard testimony by a forensic interviewer from Hope House, a nurse practitioner from Children’s Hospital, and the victim’s therapist, all of whom corroborated the child’s consistent disclosures and described the lasting psychological impact of the abuse.
Hart was present for jury selection on April 7 but refused to return for the remainder of the trial. The proceedings continued in his absence while he remained rin jail.
Hart faces a possible sentence of 25 to 99 years when he is sentenced by Judge Burris on May 16th. He is also facing 14 pending similar charges for 6 separate victims in New Hampshire.
Captain Chad Cassard of the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant District Attorneys Le’anne Malnar and Zack Popovich of the Special Victim’s Unit prosecuted the case.
District Attorney Collin Sims urges parents, educators, and community members to be aware of how predators target children through online gaming platforms such as Xbox Live, Minecraft, Roblox, Grand Theft Auto, and others. In this case, Hart used online gaming to gain the victim’s trust, isolate him, and begin years of abuse.
Warning signs may include:
•Sudden or unexplained decline in school performance
•Truancy or frequent absences
•Secretive behavior about online activity or gaming
•Receiving expensive or unexplained gifts (phones, electronics, money)
•Withdrawal from family or friends
“This case is a devastating reminder that human trafficking can start in the most seemingly innocent places—like a child’s video game system,” said District Attorney Sims. “When a young child starts missing school or their grades suddenly drop, it should never be ignored. These may be red flags that something much more serious is happening behind the scenes.”
