News

In recognition of America’s 250^th birthday the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Office is proud to support Wellspring through a gift-in-kind donation drive.

First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III led the effort recognizing the important partnership McMahon Ryan brings to United States Attorney’s Office in support of victims.

As part of his guilty plea, admitted that on May 13, 2025, he possessed multiple images and videos of child pornography that he had downloaded from the internet including material depicting the sexual abuse of children as young as five months old. The defendant also possessed nude images of a 7-year-old child Yerdon had created during a trip Yerdon took with the child to the Albany, New York area.

Moore further admitted that when DEA agents executed a search warrant at his home in July 2025, they recovered three guns, 50 rounds of ammunition, and 91 grams of cocaine that he intended to sell. Moore was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law because he had been previously convicted of numerous felonies, including state drug and gun offenses.      

The defendant was arrested on May 11, 2026, for possession of child pornography. A tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led to his arrest. In making his detention decision, U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary L. Favro stated that Shimell is a danger to the community. 

This operation resulted in the seizure of over 1000 lbs. of marijuana and THC related products, 40 pounds of suspected Methamphetamine, and approximately 20 illegal firearms, including assault style weapons and firearms equipped with extended magazines. 

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

During his guilty plea hearing, Davis admitted that he was convicted of statutory rape in Georgia in 2001. He also admitted that, in 2022, he knowingly possessed about 775 child pornography files, including some that depicted sex acts between children, within an application on his cellphone designed to look like a calculator.

Gary Yorkshire, age 69, of Scotia, New York, was sentenced May 12, 2026, to 120 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release for the attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.  Yorkshire was arrested as part of Operation Restore Justice.  

First Assistant U.S. Attorney met with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service New York Division Inspector in Charge and Targeted Risk Analytics & Criminal Enforcement (TRACE) Team Leader to receive a presentation on the TRACE Task Force.