Jason M. VanBuren, 44, of Cobleskill, New York, is going away for 15 years — 180 months — behind bars for downloading and hoarding over 1,000 images and videos of child pornography. The sentence, handed down today in Albany, marks the end of a federal prosecution that exposed a digital trail of depravity stretching across encrypted messaging apps and private file-sharing networks.
U.S. Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and FBI Albany Special Agent in Charge James N. Hendricks confirmed the sentencing, emphasizing that VanBuren didn’t just consume illegal material — he actively participated in a pattern of behavior involving the sexual abuse of a girl between the ages of 12 and 15. Senior U.S. District Judge Gary L. Sharpe cited this predatory conduct as a key factor in imposing the maximum sentence under federal guidelines.
VanBuren pleaded guilty on January 2, 2019, to two counts of receiving child pornography, admitting in court that he used two smartphones equipped with instant messaging and file-sharing apps to download illicit content from the internet. The devices, seized during a coordinated raid, contained hundreds of files depicting the sexual exploitation of minors — some of which showed extreme abuse.
Judge Sharpe didn’t stop at prison time. He slapped VanBuren with a lifetime of supervised release, meaning federal agents will be watching every move he makes for the rest of his life. Upon release, VanBuren must register as a sex offender in any jurisdiction he inhabits — a permanent mark that follows him like a shadow.
The investigation was a joint operation between the FBI, the Cobleskill Police Department, and the New York State Police Computer Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet J. O’Hanlon led the prosecution, methodically piecing together digital footprints that left no doubt about VanBuren’s guilt. Investigators traced uploads, logins, and shared files across encrypted platforms, proving repeated access and retention of child exploitation material.
The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, the DOJ’s nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat online child exploitation. Spearheaded by U.S. Attorneys and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), the program integrates federal, state, and local law enforcement to hunt down predators and rescue victims. For more information, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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