Western Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Attempted Enticement of Minor

ALBANY, NEW YORK – James Macko, age 23, of North Adams, Massachusetts, was sentenced today to 14 years in prison for the attempted coercion and enticement of an 11-year-old child.  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Alfred A. Watson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement. 

Macko previously pled guilty and admitted that between November 29, 2022 and December 9, 2022, he exchanged text messages and phone calls with someone he believed to be an 11-year-old child.  In those communications, Macko attempted to coerce and entice the child into sexual contact with him.  Macko ultimately planned to meet the child in a state park in Western Massachusetts, where he intended to perform sexual acts on the child in a cave.  On December 9, 2022, Macko left his home in North Adams to meet the child and was arrested shortly thereafter, carrying with him candy, liquor he planned to give the child, and a length of rope with which he intended to tie the child down.

United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also imposed a 20-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department and the New York State Police.  Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Clark prosecuted the case as 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.