After a five-day trial, Jerod Schaffer, 40, was convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor, committing a felony offense against a minor while being required to register as a sex offender, and receipt and possession of child pornography. The jury also acquitted Schaffer of one count of sexual exploitation of a child and failed to reach a verdict as to three other counts.

The evidence at trial established that Schaffer was convicted in 2014 in Franklin County of first-degree attempted sexual abuse because of that offense, was required to register as a sex offender under federal and New York State law.

In November 2021, while still being required to register as a sex offender, the defendant met a 14-year-old girl on a social media site and began requesting and receiving child pornography from her. In early 2022, the defendant traveled from New York to Ohio where he had sex with the victim on multiple occasions, recorded it, and posted a sex video online. When the defendant’s house was searched in May 2022, he had dozens of sexually explicit files depicting the victim.

At sentencing scheduled for Sept. 21, before United States District Judge David N. Hurd, Schaffer faces a mandatory minimum imprisonment term of 35 years and a maximum term of 120 years, a term of supervised release of between five years and up to life starting after he is released from prison, a fine of up to $250,000, various special assessments, restitution to the victim, and forfeiture of the electronic device involved in the commission of his offense. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statutes the defendant violated, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Potsdam Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael D. Gadarian and Adrian LaRochelle as part of Project Safe Childhood.