Jefferson County Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography

Jefferson County Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt and

Possession of Child Pornography

ALBANY, NEW YORK - James Yerdon, age 55, of Adams Center, New York, pled guilty in federal court May 7^th, to charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III, Erin Keegan, 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, admitted that on May 13, 2025, he possessed multiple images and videos of child pornography that he had downloaded from the internet including material depicting the sexual abuse of children as young as five months old. The defendant also possessed nude images of a 7-year-old child Yerdon had created during a trip Yerdon took with the child to the Albany, New York area.

At sentencing, which is currently scheduled for September 8, 2026, in Syracuse, New York, Yerdon faces 15 to 40 years in federal prison for the receipt charge and 10 to 20 years for the possession charge. Both charges carry a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release between 5 years and life. Yerdon 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 charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

"This defendant will now face 15-40 years behind the walls of federal prison for his unconscionable actions" said First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III. "When caught before, New York State allowed Mr. Yerdon to face probation, furthermore, release him from supervision after serving only one-third of his sentence. This soft on crime approach allowed this defendant to continue preying on young children and reoffend. Thanks to the efforts of the New York State Police and Homeland Security Investigations for catching this predator yet again, my office was able to aggressively prosecute Mr. Yerdon and ensure will now truly face justice for his crimes."

Yerdon was previously convicted on October 22^nd, 2004, in Jefferson County Court for Promoting an Obscene Sexual Performance by A Child less than 17 Years of Age. Mr. Yerdon was sentenced to 10 years' State Probation and received an early discharge February 15^th, 2007.

HSI Buffalo Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan: "James Yerdon's reprehensible conduct-including his deliberate exploitation of a child in his care and his collection of images depicting the abuse of extremely young children-lays bare the profound threat posed by predators who target those least able to protect themselves. HSI Albany, in close coordination with our law enforcement partners, remains steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding vulnerable communities and upholding the safety and trust of the public we serve."

New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said, "Although these types of investigations are difficult, we will continue to seek justice for those who have been victimized. No child should be placed in harm's way of sexual exploitation and endure the physical, emotional, and psychological suffering it inflicts. I thank our State Police members, the United States Attorney's Office, and the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations for their firm, proactive work on this case."

The case was investigated by HSI and NYSP with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and is being 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.