Illinois man pleads guilty to failing to register as a sex offender

ROCHESTER, N.Y.-- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul. Jr. announced today that Marcus Tunstall, 38,  formerly of St. Louis, Illinois, pleaded guilty to failing to register as a sex offender before U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. The charge carries a  maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

            Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant left the State of Illinois in August 2012 to come to the Western District of New York and knowingly failed to register as a sex offender. In addition, Tunstall failed to update his registration status with Illinois authorities to advise them that he had left that state.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

            The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the United States Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina.

            Sentencing is scheduled for May 30, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. before Judge Geraci.