Walton Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt of Child Pornography

ALBANY, NEW YORK - Jerry N. Butler III, 20, of Walton, New York pled guilty yesterday to receiving child pornography. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea, Butler admitted that in January and February 2025, he used a social media messaging application to receive child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from an out-of-state minor victim. Butler exchanged approximately 20,000 messages with the victim in which Butler persuaded the victim to create and send to Butler sexually explicit depictions of herself. Butler accomplished this by, at times, implying to the victim that he would distribute and/or "leak" sexually explicit content of her or would otherwise publicly embarrass her if she did not comply with Butler's demands.

In addition to those admissions the investigation into Butler revealed that he was involved in a nihilistic violent extremist (NVE) network, whose members seek to corrupt and exploit vulnerable populations, including minors. Butler was the administrator of an online offshoot of the "764" NVE group that operated across multiple social media channels and whose members engaged in extortion of minors, coercive self-harm, harm to animals, and the production and dissemination of CSAM.

Those involved with "764" and related NVE networks methodically target vulnerable, underage populations by using social media to encourage the possession, production, and sharing of extreme gore media and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Members of NVE groups, including 764, seek to desensitize young people to violence and break down societal norms regarding violence. They normalize the possession, production, and sharing of explicit CSAM and gore material to corrupt and groom their victims toward future violence, gain notoriety among other members of the network, and spread fear for the purpose of accelerating chaos under the NVE ideology with an aim toward the disruption of society.

"When FBI Special Agent in Charge Tremaroli brought this case to my attention, I immediately deployed the resources of the U.S. Attorney's office, to pick up a case that had been neglected by previous administrations," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarcone. "Those involved with Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE) groups such as this defendant, exhibit among the most reprehensible behavior and will be met with justice. Thanks to the diligent work of our investigative partners, Mr. Butler can no longer hide behind a screen to harm children. Instead, he now faces a federal prison term of up to 20 years. My office, and our investigative partners will relentlessly pursue anyone engaged in such grotesque conduct."

FBI Special Agent in Charge Tremaroli stated: "Mr. Butler's days of forcing minors to send CSAM and sowing chaos online are over. Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE) networks pose a troubling threat to our most vulnerable, but the FBI continues to dedicate every resource necessary to aggressively investigate the predators connected to these violent networks and ensure they are sent to prison for their heinous actions."

At his sentencing on October 16, 2026. Butler faces a term of imprisonment of at least 5 years and up to 20 years in prison. Butler also faces a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. Butler will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. A defendant's sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

This case was investigated by FBI with the assistance of the New York State Police, Walton Police Department, Broome County Sheriff's Office, and the FBI Atlanta and Milwaukee field offices. Assistant United States Attorney Geoffrey J. L. Brown is currently prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood. Former Assistant United States Attorney and PSC Coordinator Michael Gadarian prosecuted 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.