NORTHAMPTON — A Granby man previously convicted on child pornography charges was sentenced Tuesday to 7 to 10 years in state prison for enticing young girls to send him explicit photos.
Eric Lacoste, 35, had pleaded guilty in Hampshire Superior Court Monday afternoon to four counts of posing or exhibiting a child in a state of nudity or sexual conduct, four counts of enticement of a child younger than 16, and one count of possession of child pornography. Lacoste also admitted to a violation of probation.
On Tuesday, Judge Mary Lou Rup sentenced him to a combined 7 to 10 years in state prison on three of the charges as well as the violation of probation. Lacoste was also sentenced to 10 years of probation, with conditions, on the remaining charges.
The probationary sentences will be served at the same time but are not concurrent, Rup ruled. That distinction allows for more judicial discretion in sentencing if there were to be any violation of probation in the future.
Lacoste pleaded guilty in the same courtroom in 2014 to dissemination of obscene matter to a minor, posing or exhibiting a child in a state of nudity and one count of possession of child pornography. He was sentenced at that time to 2½ years, of which six months had to be served and the balance suspended for five years during which time he was to be on probation.
The crimes for which he was sentenced Tuesday occurred while Lacoste was on probation.
Using the photo- and video-sharing social media service Instragram, Lacoste would connect with girls before transferring the conversation to a different mobile messaging app, Kik Messenger, according to the prosecutor. Lacoste then enticed the girl to send him images in exchange for concert tickets or access to a particular singer. All four girls were from out of state and all were 13 years old or younger.
Lacoste will receive 578 days credit for time served on the 2016 charges. He will receive 386 days credit for the the probation violation.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.