Schenectady Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Sexually Exploiting a Child

ALBANY, NEW YORK - Ronald Horton, age 24, of Schenectady, New York, was sentenced today to serve 20 years in prison for sexually exploiting a 5-year-old child.  The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Matthew Scarpino, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office, and New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen.

As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Horton admitted that he recorded multiple videos that depicted his sexual abuse of the child and then uploaded those videos to an account he maintained on a blogging website.  

United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also imposed a 15-year term of supervised release, which will start after Horton is released from prison, and ordered Horton to pay a $100 special assessment.  Horton will also be required to register as a sex offender.

This case was investigated by HSI and the NYSP Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Kopita as a part of Project Safe Childhood.

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s 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.