A former Burlington High School wrestling coach sent sexually explicit messages and obscene material to what he thought was a 14-year-old girl in 2023.
Stephen James Lemelin, 51, was convicted on Wednesday of three counts of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor following a jury trial.
The former wrestling coach attempted to send the girl messages multiple times in 2023, including in May September and October. Lemelin used Kirk, which is an instant messaging app.
During conversations on the app, Lemelin sent photos of his face in addition to the obscene material, court documents state. But he told the person he lived in Bedford, not Burlington.
He also asked if the person he was talking to was a police officer.
“I don’t want to get in trouble silly Willy,” one of the messages said.
During multiple conversations, Lemelin talked about raping a 13-year-old, according to court documents. He also proposed meeting the 14-year-old girl he thought he was talking to in 2023 in person for sex, officials said.
Lemelin was arrested and charged in May 2024 and indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 26, 2026.
He faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine for each charge.
