Cortland Man Gets 30 Years for Child Sex Exploitation

Syracuse, NY – In a shocking turn of justice, Lawrence Berry, 28, from Marathon, New York, has been sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment for sexually exploiting a 3-year-old minor. The verdict was handed down by United States District Court Judge David N. Hurd.

Berry, who pleaded guilty, admitted to conspiring with Brittany Berry to exploit the child during August and September 2018. He directed her to abuse the child on five separate occasions, resulting in live and recorded images of sexual abuse being sent over the internet.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi of the FBI Albany Field Office announced the sentence, which also includes a 25-year supervised release term. Berry will register as a sex offender in any state he resides in or attends school after serving his prison term.

The investigation was a joint effort between the FBI and the City of Cortland Police Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian LaRochelle leading the prosecution under Project Safe Childhood.

Launched by the DOJ in 2006, Project Safe Childhood focuses on locating, apprehending, and prosecuting individuals who exploit children online. More information is available at https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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