Registered sex offender Donald Heald, 43, of Columbia County, pleaded guilty on July 20 to distributing and possessing child pornography following a previous conviction for attempted sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 13. The announcement was made by First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Heald was previously arrested and detained after being charged with distribution of child pornography on July 3, 2025. In his plea, Heald admitted to knowingly possessing at least 126 videos containing child sexual abuse material and distributing numerous videos to others. Some videos depicted the sexual abuse of infants. In 2016, Heald was convicted in Columbia County Court for attempted sexual abuse of a minor under age 13 and has been required to register as a sex offender since then.
“This repeat offender has once again been caught by law enforcement for his illicit behavior,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III. “Our partners at the FBI and Project Safe Childhood are relentlessly pursuing those who seek to exploit children, and my office will ensure we bring them to justice.”
FBI Albany Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli said, “Mr. Heald, already a registered sex offender, admitted to perpetuating the abuse of children by both possessing and distributing child pornography. This sick behavior will send him to federal prison for at least 15 years. The FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force is steadfast in our mission to work with our law enforcement partners at every level to ensure these dangerous predators are held accountable for their demented actions.”
Heald is scheduled for sentencing on November 17 before Judge Anne M. Nardacci, where he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison up to a maximum of 40 years, a fine up to $250,000, supervised release from five years up to life, restitution payments for victims, and continued registration as a sex offender upon release.
The FBI is investigating this case while Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Clark is prosecuting it as part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices alongside federal agencies aiming at combating online exploitation crimes against children through coordinated resources among local authorities. According to the official website, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District prosecutes federal criminal cases across an area covering over thirty thousand square miles—including facilities in Albany, Binghamton, Plattsburgh, and Syracuse—serving about 3.4 million residents with approximately fifty assistant attorneys plus support staff.