Fulton County Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child Pornography

Fulton County Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child Pornography

ALBANY, NEW YORK - Ryan Mowrey, age 39, of Caroga Lake, New York, pled guilty in federal court to distribution of child pornography. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea, Mowrey admitted that between April and May of 2025, he began communicating online with an undercover law enforcement officer (the "UC") that Mowrey believed to be the parent of an 11-year-old female child. As part of those communications, Mowrey expressed his interest in engaging in sexual contact with the child and ultimately sent the UC a video of child pornography to prove Mowrey could be trusted.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarcone stated: "Mowrey distributed child pornography in what appears to be an effort to gain access to a child he wanted to sexually abuse. However, before Mowrey was able to engage in the heinous acts he openly discussed with the UC, he was arrested and will now spend years in federal prison."

At sentencing, which is currently scheduled for September 1, 2026, in Utica, New York, Mowrey faces a maximum term of 20 years in federal prison, a mandatory minimum term of five years, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. Mowrey 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 statute the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Tremaroli stated: "With this plea, Mr. Mowrey is guaranteed to spend at least five years in federal prison for his despicable behavior. FBI Albany's Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force will continue to use every resource at our disposal to aggressively investigate these predators and hold them accountable for their disturbing actions."

The FBI is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle is prosecuting the case 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.