Oneida County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Enticing and Coercing a Minor and Receiving Child Pornography

Oneida County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Enticing and Coercing a Minor and Receiving Child Pornography

ALBANY, NEW YORK - John Secor, Jr., age 46, of Rome, New York, was sentenced on July 21, 2026, in federal court to 240 months (20 years) in federal prison for enticing and coercing a minor and for receiving child pornography.

First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III, Anthony Patrone, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea in the case, Secor admitted that in May of 2025, he began chatting online with a 16-year-old girl. Secor's chats with the child quickly became sexual in nature, with Secor requesting that the child send him sexually explicit images and videos of herself, which she did. Secor also admitted that he arranged a meeting with the child during which Secor planned to engage in sex acts with the child.

In addition to the term of imprisonment, Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes also imposed an 15-year term of supervised release that will begin once Secor is released from prison. Secor was ordered to pay restitution to victims of his offenses and will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarcone stated, "With today's sentencing, our children are safer. A child predator is off the streets for the next 20 years, and can no longer hide behind a screen to exploit vulnerable children. We are grateful to our partners at Homeland Security Investigations and the New York State Police for their outstanding investigative work."

Acting Special Agent in Charge HSI Buffalo, Anthony Patrone stated, "John Secor Jr. admitted to coercing a 16-year-old child into sending sexually explicit images and videos, and arranging to meet the child for the purpose of engaging in sex acts, conduct that is both predatory and profoundly damaging. Protecting children from sexual exploitation is among our most urgent responsibilities, and HSI Syracuse, together with the New York State Police and our federal partners, will not stop working with confront these depraved crimes wherever they occur."

New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said, "The exploitation of a child is a reprehensible crime that causes lasting harm to victims and their families. This 20-year sentence demonstrates that those who prey upon children online will be identified, investigated, and held accountable. I commend our investigators and our federal partners for their dedication to protecting children and bringing this offender to justice."

HSI and NYSP investigated the case with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adrian LaRochelle as part of Project Safe Childhood.

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.