New York Man Sentenced for Traveling to Louisiana to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with Minor

NEW ORLEANS - U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that PETER NEALON ("NEALON"), age 66, from Schenectady, New York, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison by United States District Judge Darrel James Papillion, after previously pleading guilty to interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(b). NEALON was also sentenced to 5 years of supervised release and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

According to court documents, beginning on or about July 17, 2023, NEALON met undercover law enforcement personnel posing as a fifteen-year-old female (FM1) on Instagram. Over the next several months, NEALON engaged FM1 in overtly sexual conversations and, on multiple occasions, transmitted images and videos depicting what he claimed to be his erect penis. Beginning in about July 2023, and continuing on multiple occasions until on or about March 27, 2024, NEALON communicated his intention to visit FM1 in Louisiana for the purpose of engaging in sex with FM1, explaining in detail the sex acts he intended to perform.

In February 2024, NEALON used a messaging application to communicate with who he believed to be a fourteen-year-old female who was FM1's friend (FM2). During

conversations with FM1 and FM2, NEALON expressed an intent and expectation to engage in various forms of sexual contact with FM1 and FM2, individually and collectively.

In March 2024, NEALON discussed the logistics of his trip with FM1 and, on about March 19, 2024, booked flight and hotel reservations from Albany, New York, to New Orleans, Louisiana. NEALON travelled by plane to New Orleans on about March 27, 2024, to his intent to engage in sexual acts with FM1 and FM2.