Greece Man Pleads Guilty to Online Enticement of a Minor

ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Terrance Junot, III, 37, of Greece, New York, pleaded guilty to online enticement of a minor before U.S. District Court Judge Frank P. Geraci. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison with a mandatory minimum period of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant engaged in a series of sexually explicit online communications with a 13-year-old child who was known to him. During those communications, Junot persuaded the child to produce sexually explicit photographs of herself, which she then sent to him over the Internet. The defendant also sent sexually explicit photos of himself to the child during these chats.

The case came to the attention of law enforcement after the child’s mother found naked photos of the defendant on her child’s phone. The parent recognized the defendant as someone who was known to the family and took the phone to the Greece Police, who began an investigation. In the course of their investigation, Greece Police executed several search warrants and searched the victim’s cell phone. Following their discovery of sexually explicit pictures of the victim, Greece Police contacted the FBI Cyber-Crimes Task Force for assistance.

“Our office frequently tells parents and guardians to monitor the computer and cell phone usage of their children,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “The mother of the victim in this case did just that, and now a predator will not be allowed to victimize any other children. I urge all parents to be on alert. If you see something, please say something, and, as in this case, we will do something.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States 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 www.justice.gov/psc.

The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of officers of the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Todd Baxter, and special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian P. Boetig.

Sentencing is set for January 10, 2014, at 3:30 p.m. before Judge Geraci.