Guilderland Man Sentenced to 300 Months for Child Sexual Exploitation

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Blake Spears, age 40, of Westmere, Town of Guilderland, New York, was sentenced today to 300 months in prison for sexually exploiting a child.

The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Spears admitted that on December 1, 2018, he used his phone to video-record himself masturbating while standing over a sleeping child. He also admitted to using a phone messaging application to distribute, to others, videos depicting the sexual abuse of other children.

In imposing sentence, United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino found that Spears was a repeat and dangerous sex offender, and had repeatedly exploited a minor. She also imposed a 20-year term of supervised release, to begin after the 300-month term of imprisonment, and ordered Spears to pay $8,000 in restitution to individuals whose abuse was depicted in images that Spears possessed.

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.   The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.

The case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.