Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Violating Federal Sex Offender Registration Laws

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that THOMAS EDWARD DONALDSON, 54, last residing in Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 18 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for violating federal sex offender registration laws.

The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”), which was passed by Congress in 2006 as part of the Adam Walsh Act, provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States and seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs. In part, SORNA requires registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 8, 2005, DONALDSON was sentenced in Hartford federal court to five years of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for engaging in sexually explicit conversations, from his computer in Maryland, with an undercover agent who he thought was a 13-year-old girl, and then traveling to Connecticut to meet the “girl” to engage in sexual activity. After his release from prison, DONALDSON was found in violation of his supervised release and, on March 13, 2013, was sentenced to an additional three months of imprisonment and one year of supervised release.

DONALDSON had initially complied with Connecticut Sex Offender Registry requirements while he resided in Hartford after his release from prison. However, in late 2013, he failed to respond to an address verification request and a subsequent notice of violation sent by the Sex Offender Registry Unit, and a federal investigation was initiated to locate him.

On February 5, 2016, DONALDSON was arrested in Hartford pursuant to a federal probation violation warrant. After he was apprehended, he was sentenced to an additional six months in prison for again violating his supervised release.

DONALDSON has been detained since his arrest. On October 25, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of failing to register as a sex offender.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Slater.