Rensselaer County Man Arrested in Broome County on Child Enticement Charge

BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK – Charles Wager, age 53, of Castleton-on-Hudson, New York, was arrested on February 5, 2021 and charged with attempting to entice or coerce a child, announced 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).

The criminal complaint alleges that on January 18, 2021, Wager initiated an electronic messaging conversation with an undercover officer posing as the parent of a 10-year-old child.  The complaint alleges that during that conversation, Wager described his interest in sexual contact with the child and on the following day, Wager began communicating with an undercover officer who he believed was the 10-year-old child. The complaint further alleges that from January 19, 2021 through February 5, 2021, Wager communicated with the parent and child and explicitly described sexual acts he planned he perform on the 10-year-old child when he met the child in person.   On February 5, 2021, Wager traveled from Castleton-on-Hudson to Broome County to perform sexual acts on the 10-year-old child and was apprehended by law enforcement when he arrived at the pre-arranged meeting location in Broome County.  

Wager appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Miroslav Lovric on February 10, 2021, and was ordered detained pending trial. 

The charge against Wager carries a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life.  The 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 charge in the complaint is merely an accusation.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  

This case is being investigated by the FBI Syracuse Mid-State Child Exploitation Task Force. This task force is comprised of FBI Special Agents and Investigators of the New York State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Grabowski.

Members of the public who have information related to this case or feel they may have been victimized by Wager are asked to call the Federal Bureau of Investigation at (607) 778-7240. 

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 Attorney’s 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc/.