Liverpool Man Sentenced to 235 Years on Child Exploitation Convictions

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Jason Kopp, age 40, of Liverpool, New York, was sentenced today to serve 235 years in prison in connection with his convictions for 22 felony offenses, including the sexual exploitation of an infant and a toddler, distributing images of child exploitation, and the possession of hundreds of images and videos of child pornography obtained from the Internet. 

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Andrew W. Vale, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). 

U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian stated: “For over a decade, Kopp sexually exploited young children, including an infant and a toddler.  His conduct was so depraved that it is literally off the sentencing chart – higher than the offense level that sets the guideline imprisonment term at life. The 235-year sentence imposed today will ensure that this dangerous predator with an insatiable appetite for sexual abuse will never exploit another child.  We owe that to the victims in this case and to all of the most vulnerable and defenseless among us.” 

FBI Special Agent in Charge Andrew W. Vale stated: “The severity of today’s sentencing should illustrate the utterly horrific nature of Mr. Kopp’s crimes. The damage and pain he inflicted is immeasurable. Thanks to the joint efforts of law enforcement, our community is safe from a truly dangerous predator.” 

The 235-year sentence imposed today by Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby reflects a 30-year sentence on the conspiracy count, 15-year consecutive sentences on each of the 10 production counts, 5-year consecutive sentences on each of the 9 distribution counts, and 5-year sentences on each of the 2 possession counts. If ever released, Kopp will be on supervised release for life, and will be required to register as a sex offender. 

Emily Oberst was indicted along with Kopp, and her trial is scheduled for November 7, 2016.  The charges against her are merely accusations and she is presumed innocent. 

As part of his guilty plea on May 20, 2016, Kopp admitted that he and another person conspired to sexually exploit an infant to produce visual depictions of the abuse.  In addition to the sexual exploitation of the infant, Kopp admitted that he sexually exploited a male toddler.  Kopp admitted that he sexually exploited the two children 10 separate times so that he could produce images and videos of that sexual exploitation.   He also pled guilty to 9 counts related to his distribution of the images that he had produced and 2 counts related to his possession of child pornography that he downloaded from the Internet. 

While Kopp’s convictions stemmed from his crimes against 2 specific children, the investigation uncovered his exploitation of 8 children over the past 16 years. 

This case was investigated by the Albany Division of the FBI (Syracuse Resident Agency), the New York State Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department-Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Task Force (FBI Washington Field Office), and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa Fletcher and Robert Levine. 

This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.