Aug. 18, 2026, 12:29 p.m. ET
- John Secor Jr., 46, of Rome, was sentenced on July 21, in federal court to 20 years in federal prison for enticing and coercing a minor and for receiving child sexual assault material.
- As part of his guilty plea in the case, John Secor Jr. admitted that in May 2025, he began chatting online with a 16-year-old girl.
- In addition to the term of imprisonment, Chief United States District Judge Brenda Sannes also imposed an 15-year term of supervised release that will begin once John Secor Jr is released from prison.
An Oneida County man was sentenced to 20 years for coercing a minor and receiving child sexual assault material, according to a statement from the United States Department of Justice.
John Secor Jr., 46, of Rome, was sentenced on July 21, in federal court to 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, and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement.
As part of his guilty plea in the case, Secor admitted that in May 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, according to the statement.
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.
“With today’s sentencing, our children are safer,” Sarcone said in a statement. “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.”
HSI and NYSP investigated the case with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 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, 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
