Eric Jaquays, Child Porn Distribution, NY 2024

Eric Jaquays, 54, of Little Falls, New York, is going to prison for five years after being sentenced on federal charges of distributing child pornography. The sentence, handed down in Utica, marks the end of a years-long investigation into Jaquays’ use of peer-to-peer networks to spread graphic, illegal material involving minors.

The announcement came from U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and James C. Spero, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations’ Buffalo Field Office. They confirmed Jaquays admitted guilt as part of a plea deal dated July 20, 2016, in which he confessed to distributing 27 video files containing child pornography over the Internet.

The criminal activity occurred between December 27, 2014, and December 12, 2015, when Jaquays used file-sharing software to upload and disseminate the illicit videos. Federal investigators traced the digital footprint back to his residence in Herkimer County, where evidence was seized linking him directly to the distribution.

U.S. District Judge David N. Hurd imposed the 60-month sentence and added a mandatory 5-year term of supervised release to follow. During that post-prison period, Jaquays will be under strict monitoring by federal authorities and required to comply with all conditions set forth for high-risk sex offenders.

As a convicted sex offender, Jaquays must register with state and federal databases immediately upon release. The registration will follow him for life, exposing his identity, address, and criminal history to the public under Megan’s Law provisions.

The case was jointly investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Saratoga Springs Police Department, a rare collaboration that underscored the severity of the offense. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss led the prosecution, calling the distribution of child sexual abuse material a ‘direct assault on the safety and innocence of children.’