Connecticut Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Attempted Enticement of a Minor

ALBANY, NEW YORK – David Feeney, age 56, of Bristol, Connecticut, pled guilty today to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

Feeney admitted that between March and April 2022, he exchanged sexually explicit messages online with undercover officers posing as a father and a 10-year-old child in an attempt to entice the child into engaging in sexual acts with him.  Feeney also admitted that on April 24, 2022, he traveled from Connecticut and arrived unannounced at a residence in Albany County, with the intent to engage in sexual acts with the presumed 10-year-old child.  Feeney was arrested by law enforcement shortly after arriving at the location. Feeney was a registered sex offender at the time of the offense, and had a prior felony conviction, in Connecticut, involving sexual assault of a minor. 

Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes will sentence Feeney on May 23, 2023. He faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department and New York State Police.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping 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.