Troy Man Charged With Attempted Enticement of a Child

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Brian Botsford, age 24, of Troy, New York, was arrested on Monday and charged with attempting to entice or coerce a child.  

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). 

The charges in the complaint are merely accusations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

The criminal complaint alleges that between July 14, 2020 and August 10, 2020, Botsford exchanged sexually explicit text messages with an undercover investigator who was posing as a 13-year-old girl.  On August 10, 2020, Botsford traveled from Troy to Cohoes, New York, to meet and have sex with a 13-year-old child at a predetermined location.  Botsford was encountered by law enforcement and arrested. 

Botsford appeared in court yesterday for an initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Christian Hummel.  Today, Botsford waived his right to a detention hearing, subject to renewal of that right upon further notice.

The charge filed against Botsford carries a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. 

This case is being investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, including investigators from the Colonie Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Williams. 

Anyone with information about this defendant is encouraged to contact the FBI Albany Field Office at (518) 465-7551. 

This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, 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 identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/.