Syracuse Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Jonte McCall, age 39, of Syracuse, New York, pled guilty yesterday to possession of child pornography.  Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea, McCall admitted that on December 23, 2021, he was convicted of the New York State offense of Possession of a Sexual Performance by a Child Less Than 16 Years Old and was placed on probation.  He further admitted that in February 2024, while still on probation, he possessed a cell phone that contained 14 videos of child pornography.

Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “The defendant, already a registered sex offender and while on state probation, chose to once again seek out and gratify his sexual desires with child pornography. This behavior is disgusting and intolerable. Sex offenders in the Northern District of New York who reoffend will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This is another prime example of how the senseless bail laws and soft-on-crime New York State legislature does not protect our children. Albany legislatures, this should be a wake-up call.”

“Crimes against children represent the deepest form of depravity and inflict lasting harm on the most vulnerable members of our community,” said Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Buffalo. “HSI remains steadfast in our commitment to investigating these horrific offenses and bringing perpetrators to justice. Protecting children will always be our highest priority.”

Sentencing is scheduled for April 27, 2026, before Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes. Because of his prior conviction, McCall faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison, a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of between 5 years and up to life.  McCall will also have to pay restitution to victims, forfeit the cell phone used to commit the offense, and again be required to register as a sex offender.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statutes a defendant violated, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

The case is being investigated by HSI with assistance from the New York State Police Troop D Computer Crimes Unit and the Onondaga County Probation Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Gillis is prosecuting the case.

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.

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