Latest news with #SexualExploitation
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Elmira woman, 3 others face federal charges after Homeland Security, police investigations
An Elmira woman who is already facing local child sexual assault charges is now among four people from two states charged federally for a reported broader conspiracy. Grace E. Balthazor, 33, of Elmira, and Devin G. LaValley, 37, of Burlington Flats (Otsego County), were each charged July 2 with predatory sexual assault against a child and use of a child in a sexual performance, both felonies. New York State Police at Horseheads said the arrests resulted from an investigation into the sexual assault of a 1-year-old female victim and the video recording of the incident. Now Balthazor, LaValley and two others face federal child exploitation charges, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York. The U.S. Attorney's Office charged Balthazor with conspiracy to sexually exploit a child and sexual exploitation of a child, and charged LaValley with conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, sexual exploitation of a child, receipt of child pornography, and distribution of child pornography. Also charged as part of the investigation were Melissa McDougal, 29, of Altmar (Oswego County), who was charged with conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, sexual exploitation of a child, and distribution of child pornography, and Roxanne Clark, 43, of Bristol, Vermont, who was charged with receipt of child pornography. The criminal complaints allege LaValley conspired with McDougal and separately with Balthazor to video record the sexual abuse of two minor children. The defendants then allegedly exchanged the depictions of that abuse over the internet. The complaints further allege LaValley later distributed some of the depictions he created with McDougal and Balthazor to Clark via an online social networking application as part of messaging between the two regarding their mutual interest in sexually abusing children. Public safety 'A very difficult case to prosecute': Man sentenced for assaulting woman, state trooper The charges are the result of an investigation by New York State Police and the Buffalo field office of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle is prosecuting the case as a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. "The allegations in the criminal complaint are horrific. The child victims in this case are now safe thanks to the great work of HSI and the New York State Police," said acting U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III. "These depraved defendants will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and my office will seek the maximum sentence that can be imposed." If the suspects are convicted, the conspiracy and sexual exploitation charges carry a term of between 15 and 30 years in federal prison, while the charges of receipt and distribution of child pornography each carry a term of imprisonment between five and 20 years. Each charge also carries a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. The defendants would be required to register as sex offenders upon their release from prison. Follow Jeff Murray on X (Twitter) @SGJeffMurray. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Elmira woman, three others charged with child sexual exploitation Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Elmira woman, 3 others face federal charges after Homeland Security, police investigations
An Elmira woman who is already facing local child sexual assault charges is now among four people from two states charged federally for a reported broader conspiracy. Grace E. Balthazor, 33, of Elmira, and Devin G. LaValley, 37, of Burlington Flats (Otsego County), were each charged July 2 with predatory sexual assault against a child and use of a child in a sexual performance, both felonies. New York State Police at Horseheads said the arrests resulted from an investigation into the sexual assault of a 1-year-old female victim and the video recording of the incident. Now Balthazor, LaValley and two others face federal child exploitation charges, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York. The U.S. Attorney's Office charged Balthazor with conspiracy to sexually exploit a child and sexual exploitation of a child, and charged LaValley with conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, sexual exploitation of a child, receipt of child pornography, and distribution of child pornography. Also charged as part of the investigation were Melissa McDougal, 29, of Altmar (Oswego County), who was charged with conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, sexual exploitation of a child, and distribution of child pornography, and Roxanne Clark, 43, of Bristol, Vermont, who was charged with receipt of child pornography. The criminal complaints allege LaValley conspired with McDougal and separately with Balthazor to video record the sexual abuse of two minor children. The defendants then allegedly exchanged the depictions of that abuse over the internet. The complaints further allege LaValley later distributed some of the depictions he created with McDougal and Balthazor to Clark via an online social networking application as part of messaging between the two regarding their mutual interest in sexually abusing children. Public safety 'A very difficult case to prosecute': Man sentenced for assaulting woman, state trooper The charges are the result of an investigation by New York State Police and the Buffalo field office of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle is prosecuting the case as a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. "The allegations in the criminal complaint are horrific. The child victims in this case are now safe thanks to the great work of HSI and the New York State Police," said acting U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III. "These depraved defendants will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and my office will seek the maximum sentence that can be imposed." If the suspects are convicted, the conspiracy and sexual exploitation charges carry a term of between 15 and 30 years in federal prison, while the charges of receipt and distribution of child pornography each carry a term of imprisonment between five and 20 years. Each charge also carries a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. The defendants would be required to register as sex offenders upon their release from prison. Follow Jeff Murray on X (Twitter) @SGJeffMurray. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Elmira woman, three others charged with child sexual exploitation Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Officer nicknamed 'PC Predator' by burglary victim he had sex with while on duty is jailed
A police officer who had sex with a vulnerable burglary victim while he was on duty has been jailed for 18 months. Stuart Trentham, 41, whose victim saved his details as 'PC Predator' on her phone, was sentenced on Wednesday by the same judge who sent him to prison for nine months earlier this year for an 'almost identical' offence. Sheffield Crown Court heard how Trentham was a South Yorkshire Police officer who responded to a report of burglary in 2020, during the pandemic lockdown. Prosecutor Joseph Bell said the officer began to exchange increasingly 'flirtatious and sexualised' messages with the woman complainant. Mr Bell said they then had consensual sex when Trentham attended at her house. But the prosecutor said the woman 'saved his number on her mobile phone as PC Predator'. Mr Bell said the woman's friend encouraged her to report the matter at the time, but she was worried about alienating her local police. He said it was only after she saw a documentary about the Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, who murdered Sarah Everard in 2021, that she decided to make a complaint. Trentham was sentenced by the same judge at Sheffield Crown Court who sent him to prison earlier this year for an 'almost identical' offence He said she was finally prompted by the publicity which surrounded Trentham's jailing for nine months in February for sending inappropriate messages to a vulnerable woman after she reported that sexual images of her had been posted on the internet without her consent in 2022. On Wednesday, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC jailed father-of-three Trentham, who appeared in court on bail, for a further 18 months. He told him: 'You abused the responsibility reposed in you. 'Police officers have a high position in society and are an essential component of a civilised country. 'The public place confidence in a police officer to do the right thing and behave with propriety. 'You betrayed that trust and you have betrayed that trust now twice.' The judge said: 'This is a grotesque breach of trust by a police officer.' He told him: 'You are a disgrace to the police force.' Judge Richardson said: 'It must be made clear that if anyone indulges as a police officer in this form of misconduct, they fall to be punished. 'There has to be an element of deterrent.' The judge said: 'Your conduct twice over in almost identical circumstances is outrageous.' Earlier, Curtis Dunkley, defending, said his client had struggled serving his prison sentence earlier this year as a former police officer, saying it was a 'living hell'. Mr Dunkley said Trentham, of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, had autism and suffered with PTSD. The defendant admitted misconduct in a public office when he appeared in court on Wednesday. He sat in the dock wearing a blue suit and with his head in his hands. Trentham resigned from South Yorkshire Police in 2023.
The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
Officer jailed for sexual offence returns to prison for ‘almost identical' crime
A burglary victim who had sex with a police officer while he was on duty saved his phone number as 'Pc Predator', a judge has been told. Stuart Trentham, 41, was jailed for 18 months on Wednesday by the same judge who sent him to prison for nine months earlier this year for an 'almost identical' offence. Sheffield Crown Court heard how Trentham was a South Yorkshire Police officer who responded to a report of burglary in 2020, during the pandemic lockdown. Prosecutor Joseph Bell said the officer began to exchange increasingly 'flirtatious and sexualised' messages with the woman complainant. Mr Bell said they then had consensual sex when Trentham attended at her house. But the prosecutor said the woman 'saved his number on her mobile phone as Pc Predator'. Mr Bell said the woman's friend encouraged her to report the matter to the police at the time but she was worried about alienating her local police. He said it was only after she saw a documentary about the Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, who murdered Sarah Everard in 2021, that she decided to make a complaint. He said she was finally prompted by the publicity which surrounded Trentham's jailing for nine months in February for sending inappropriate messages to a vulnerable woman after she reported that sexual images of her had been posted on the internet without her consent in 2022. On Wednesday, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC jailed father-of-three Trentham, who appeared in court on bail, for a further 18 months. He told him: 'You abused the responsibility reposed in you. 'Police officers have a high position in society and are an essential component of a civilised country. 'The public place confidence in a police officer to do the right thing and behave with propriety. 'You betrayed that trust and you have betrayed that trust now twice.' The judge said: 'This is a grotesque breach of trust by a police officer.' He told him: 'You are a disgrace to the police force.' Judge Richardson said: 'It must be made clear that if anyone indulges as a police officer in this form of misconduct, they fall to be punished. 'There has to be an element of deterrent.' The judge said: 'Your conduct twice over in almost identical circumstances is outrageous.' Earlier, Curtis Dunkley, defending, said his client had struggled serving his prison sentence earlier this year as a former police officer, saying it was a 'living hell'. Mr Dunkley said Trentham, of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, had autism and suffered with PTSD. The defendant admitted misconduct in a public office when he appeared in court on Wednesday. He sat in the dock wearing a blue suit and with his head in his hands. Trentham resigned from South Yorkshire Police in 2023.
The Independent
9 hours ago
- The Independent
‘Pc Predator' jailed for second time after having sex with crime victim
A burglary victim who had sex with a police officer while he was on duty saved his phone number as 'Pc Predator', a judge has been told. Stuart Trentham, 41, was jailed for 18 months on Wednesday by the same judge who sent him to prison for nine months earlier this year for an 'almost identical' offence. Sheffield Crown Court heard how Trentham was a South Yorkshire Police officer who responded to a report of burglary in 2020, during the pandemic lockdown. Prosecutor Joseph Bell said the officer began to exchange increasingly 'flirtatious and sexualised' messages with the woman complainant. Mr Bell said they then had consensual sex when Trentham attended at her house. But the prosecutor said the woman 'saved his number on her mobile phone as Pc Predator'. Mr Bell said the woman's friend encouraged her to report the matter to the police at the time but she was worried about alienating her local police. He said it was only after she saw a documentary about the Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, who murdered Sarah Everard in 2021, that she decided to make a complaint. He said she was finally prompted by the publicity which surrounded Trentham's jailing for nine months in February for sending inappropriate messages to a vulnerable woman after she reported that sexual images of her had been posted on the internet without her consent in 2022. On Wednesday, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC jailed father-of-three Trentham, who appeared in court on bail, for a further 18 months. He told him: 'You abused the responsibility reposed in you. ' Police officers have a high position in society and are an essential component of a civilised country. 'The public place confidence in a police officer to do the right thing and behave with propriety. 'You betrayed that trust and you have betrayed that trust now twice.' The judge said: 'This is a grotesque breach of trust by a police officer.' He told him: 'You are a disgrace to the police force.' Judge Richardson said: 'It must be made clear that if anyone indulges as a police officer in this form of misconduct, they fall to be punished. 'There has to be an element of deterrent.' The judge said: 'Your conduct twice over in almost identical circumstances is outrageous.' Earlier, Curtis Dunkley, defending, said his client had struggled serving his prison sentence earlier this year as a former police officer, saying it was a 'living hell'. Mr Dunkley said Trentham, of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, had autism and suffered with PTSD. The defendant admitted misconduct in a public office when he appeared in court on Wednesday. He sat in the dock wearing a blue suit and with his head in his hands. Trentham resigned from South Yorkshire Police in 2023.
