Johnson City Man Arrested for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Michael Rushmer, age 46, of Johnson City, New York, was arrested and charged with sexual exploitation of a minor, and distribution and receipt of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Vadim D. Thomas, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

FBI and Johnson City Police arrested Rushmer at his home in Johnson City, New York, on March 14, 2017.  The defendant appeared in federal court in Syracuse before United States Magistrate Judge Thérèse Wiley Dancks and was ordered detained without bail pending trial.

If convicted of sexual exploitation of a child, Rushmer faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Rushmer also faces a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life, as well as mandatory registration as a sex offender. The distribution and receipt of child pornography charges carry mandatory minimum sentences of 5 years and up to 20 years in prison on each count. 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.

The charges in the complaint are merely accusations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the FBI, the Johnson City Police Department, and the Broome County District Attorney’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sahar L. Amandolare.

This multi-agency approach is a hallmark 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.