Poughkeepsie Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor and Possessing Child Pornography

ALBANY, NEW YORK - Aaron W. Scott, 28, of Poughkeepsie, New York, was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for attempting to entice and coerce an 11-year-old child into sexual activity and for possessing child pornography.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Scott admitted that between on or April 1, 2022, and June 14, 2022, he sent sexually explicit text messages to someone he believed was an 11-year-old girl in an attempt to entice the child into engaging in sexual acts with him. Scott admitted that on June 14, 2022, he traveled to Warren County, New York, with the intent to engage in sexual acts with the 11-year-old girl. Scott was arrested by law enforcement shortly after arriving at the location and was found in possession of child pornography at the time of his arrest.

United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also imposed a 25-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release, ordered Scott to pay $3,000 in restitution to a victim whose images he possessed, and ordered him to forfeit the devices that he used to attempt to entice the child and that contained the child pornography. Scott will be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison.

This case was investigated by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, comprised of FBI Special Agents, and state and local police investigators, including from the New York State Police, the Colonie Police Department, and the Cary (North Carolina) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen J. Vickey prosecuted 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.