Jeremy Soutar, age 46, pled guilty on April 28 to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, according to an announcement made by First Assistant 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.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to address offenses involving the exploitation of minors. Soutar admitted during his plea that he tried to entice what he believed was a 14-year-old boy into sexual activity while he was under post-release supervision for a previous conviction related to child sexual abuse and required to register as a sex offender.
Soutar is scheduled for sentencing on August 26. He faces at least ten years and up to life in prison, supervised release for at least five years up to life after imprisonment, possible fines up to $250,000, forfeiture of property used in committing the offense, and continued registration as a sex offender. Sentencing will be determined by a judge based on federal statutes and guidelines.
Sarcone said: “My Office will always prioritize the investigation and prosecution of recidivist sex offenders like Soutar, who commit or try to commit sex crimes against children despite having already been punished for doing just that. Since a sentence of twelve years in state prison did not rehabilitate him, he gets to spend another decade in prison—this time, a federal penitentiary. I thank the FBI, the New York State Police, and the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office for their diligent investigation.”
Tremaroli said: “With this plea, Mr. Soutar’s history of predatory behavior comes to an end, and he will spend at least a decade in federal prison unable to harm our children. The FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force will continue to leverage the strength of our incredible law enforcement partnerships to aggressively investigate any individual looking to harm our most vulnerable citizens.”
The case is being investigated by the FBI with assistance from New York State Police and Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office; Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian is prosecuting as part of Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative led by U.S Attorneys’ Offices with support from federal agencies aiming at combating child sexual exploitation online (more information).
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York supports community wellness through coordinated law enforcement initiatives across its offices in Albany, Binghamton, Plattsburgh and Syracuse; it prosecutes federal criminal cases on behalf of the United States Department of Justice with about 50 Assistant United States Attorneys serving approximately 3.4 million residents over more than 30 thousand square miles spanning northern and central New York (according to its official website).
