UTICA, NEW YORK - A jury on Friday voted to convict Jerod Schaffer, age 40, of Potsdam, New York, of sexual exploitation of a minor, committing a felony offense against a minor while being required to register as a sex offender, and receipt and possession of child pornography, following a 5-day trial in Utica.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
The trial evidence established that Schaffer was convicted in 2014 in Franklin County, New York, of attempted sexual abuse in the first degree and, as a result, was required to register as a sex offender. In November 2021, Schaffer met a 14-year-old girl on a social media site and began requesting and receiving child pornography from her. In early 2022, Schaffer traveled from New York to Ohio where he had sex with the victim on multiple occasions, recorded it, and posted a sex video online. When Schaffer’s house was searched in May 2022, he had dozens of sexually explicit files depicting the victim.
The jury voted to acquit Schaffer of one count of sexual exploitation of a child and failed to reach a verdict as to three other counts.
At sentencing scheduled for Sept. 21, 2023, before United States District Judge David N. Hurd, Schaffer faces at least 35 years and a maximum term of 120 years in prison, restitution to the victim, and forfeiture of the electronic device involved in the commission of his offense. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statutes the defendant violated, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
HSI and the Potsdam Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael D. Gadarian and Adrian LaRochelle are prosecuting this 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.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys