Jonathan Macdonald, a 31-year-old resident of Mechanicville, New York, has been charged with receipt and possession of child pornography. The announcement was made by United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The charges against Macdonald are currently accusations, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
United States Attorney Sarcone expressed gratitude towards the FBI and the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office for their efforts in investigating the case. "We are grateful to our partners at the FBI and the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office for their hard work in investigating this case so far," said Sarcone.
Special Agent Tremaroli emphasized the FBI's commitment to tackling such crimes: “The FBI will continue to use every resource available to investigate these predators and bring them to justice. We remain grateful to our law enforcement partners at the federal, state, and local level who join us in this shared goal of protecting our most vulnerable.”
If convicted on all charges, Macdonald could face a prison sentence ranging from 5 to 20 years, a fine up to $250,000, and supervised release from 5 years up to life. Sentencing would be determined by a judge based on specific statutes violated, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. Additionally, upon release from prison if convicted, Macdonald would need to register as a sex offender.
Macdonald appeared initially before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart in Albany yesterday and was detained pending a detention hearing set for Friday, May 23.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force with initiation by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Walter is prosecuting under Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is an initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation nationwide through collaboration among federal, state, and local resources for apprehending offenders using the Internet while identifying victims for rescue.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
