Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty in Failure to Register Case

ROCHESTER, N.Y.-- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that  Gregory Grove, 37, of Fayette, N.Y., pleaded guilty to failing to register as a sex offender before U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer. 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 Pennsylvania in June 2011 and moved to Seneca County. As a sex offender, Grove was required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. The defendant failed to register as a sex offender in the Western District of New York and failed to update his registration status with Pennsylvania 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 United States Marshal Charles Salina.

            Sentencing is scheduled for September 5, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. before Judge Larimer.