Mechanicville Man Charged with Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jonathan Macdonald, age 31, of Mechanicville, New York, was charged yesterday with receipt and possession of child pornography. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

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

United States Attorney Sarcone said: “We are grateful to our partners at the FBI and the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office for their hard work in investigating this case so far.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Tremaroli stated: “The FBI will continue to use every resource available to investigate these predators and bring them to justice. We remain grateful to our law enforcement partners at the federal, state, and local level who join us in this shared goal of protecting our most vulnerable.”

If convicted on all charges, Macdonald faces at least 5 years and up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of 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(s) the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. If convicted, Macdonald would also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

Macdonald had his initial appearance yesterday in Albany, before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart, and was ordered detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for Friday, May 23.

The FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force is investigating this case, which was initiated by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Walter is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood. 

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. 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.