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Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Martin Connearney, age 32, of Lenox, Massachusetts, was arrested yesterday and charged with traveling across state lines with the intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The charge in the complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The criminal complaint alleges that between April 6, 2022 and May 4, 2022, Connearney exchanged text messages with another person in which Connearney expressed interest in engaging in sexual conduct with a child. Connearney and the other person discussed plans in which Connearney would travel from Massachusetts in order to meet at a prearranged location in New York and engage in sexual acts with the child. On the morning of May 5, 2022, Connearney drove from Lenox to New York, where he was encountered by law enforcement officials and arrested.
Connearney appeared today before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart and was ordered detained after he waived his right to a detention hearing.
The charge filed against Connearney carries a maximum sentence of 30 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 the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Clark.
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.