U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman | U.S. Department of Justice
Martin Connearney, a 35-year-old resident of Lenox, Massachusetts, has been sentenced to 151 months in prison. This follows his guilty plea earlier this year for traveling across state lines with the intent to engage in sexual acts with a minor. The announcement was made by 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).
Connearney admitted that between April 6 and May 5, 2022, he communicated with an individual to plan the sexual abuse of a 10-year-old girl from the Capital Region who had speech and hearing difficulties. The person he was communicating with turned out to be an undercover agent. On May 5, 2022, Connearney borrowed a car and drove from Lenox to meet the undercover agent with the intention of abusing the child but was arrested by law enforcement officials at a prearranged location.
United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci imposed an enhanced prison sentence under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines due to Connearney's intention to exploit a vulnerable victim. Court documents revealed that Connearney believed there was less risk of being caught because of the child's disabilities. In addition to his prison term, Connearney will serve a 20-year supervised release after incarceration and must register as a sex offender.
The FBI Albany Division’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force conducted the investigation into this case. This task force includes members from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies such as the Colonie Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Clark prosecuted this case under Project Safe Childhood—a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 aimed at combating child exploitation on the Internet by coordinating efforts among federal, state, and local resources.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
