A Delaware County man, Brent G. Trimbell, 44, was arrested Sunday evening and appeared in federal court on charges of sexual exploitation of a child. The arrest was announced by Acting 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).
According to the criminal complaint, Trimbell is accused of exchanging sexually explicit messages with a female child victim and persuading her to create and send him videos involving sexually explicit conduct. The complaint further alleges that Trimbell had sexual contact with the victim on at least three occasions and sent her videos depicting himself masturbating.
Trimbell was initially charged by state authorities for related sex offenses but was released on bail late last week. He now faces federal charges which carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted, with a maximum possible sentence of 30 years. Additional penalties include supervised release for at least five years up to life, a fine up to $250,000, forfeiture of property used in the offense, restitution to the victim, and mandatory registration as a sex offender.
Acting U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III said: “Trimbell was charged with serious state sex offenses but was released on bail. Now, Trimbell is in federal custody—facing serious federal offenses—which if convicted, will result in a mandatory term of imprisonment of 15 years. This is how we keep the children in our community safe.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli added: “FBI Albany is incredibly thankful for the swift coordination from our partners at the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office and United States Attorney’s Office that has now resulted in serious federal charges against Mr. Trimbell. The FBI, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to coordinate with our state and local partners to share the information and resources needed to ensure anyone hurting our most vulnerable is investigated and brought to justice.”
After his initial appearance, Trimbell was remanded into custody pending further proceedings.
The charges are accusations at this stage; Trimbell is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The investigation involves both the FBI and Delaware County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian is prosecuting under Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood coordinates efforts among federal, state, and local agencies to address child sexual exploitation online and identify victims (https://www.justice.gov/psc).
