Albany County Man Pleads Guilty to Failing to Update His Residential Address with the New York State Sex Offender Registry

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jason Burnash, age 43, of Albany County, New York, pled guilty today to failing to update his sex offender residential address information with the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services, as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”).  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and David L. McNulty, United States Marshal for the Northern District of New York, made the announcement.

Burnash was required to register as a sex offender because of his federal conviction in 2012 in the Northern District of New York for receiving child pornography.  Burnash admitted during his guilty plea that, between December 24, 2022, and March 1, 2023, he failed to advise the sex offender registry of a change in his residential address.

In addition to his guilty plea to failure to update his registration information as a sex offender, Burnash also admitted today that his conduct violated the terms of supervised release imposed after his 2012 conviction. 

Sentencing is scheduled for November 27, 2023, before United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci.  For the SORNA offense, Burnash faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of between five years and up to life to begin upon his release from prison.  Burnash may also receive additional sanctions for violating the terms of his supervised release.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant violated, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. 

The United States Marshals Service is investigating this case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss is prosecuting the case.  This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood.  Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.