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Press Release

Syracuse Woman Sentenced to 60 Years on Child Exploitation Convictions

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of New York

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Emily Oberst, age 25, of Syracuse, was sentenced today to 60 years in prison for her sexual exploitation of children, announced Acting United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Special Agent in Charge Vadim D. Thomas of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Albany Field Office. Oberst, who pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to sexually exploit children and 11 counts of child exploitation, will also be on a lifetime term of supervised release and must register as a sex offender following her release from prison.

 

“The substantial sentence imposed today reflects the enormity of the defendant’s appalling sexual exploitation of an infant and a toddler.   We will continue to use all available tools to hold child predators accountable so that all children can be safe from such abominable abuse,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Grant C. Jaquith.

 

“Ms. Oberst committed shocking and unspeakable crimes against the most innocent among us. Today’s sentencing ensures that she will receive justice for her heinous crimes,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Vadim D. Thomas.

 

During her April 2017 guilty plea, Oberst admitted that she took sexually explicit images of two girls, an infant and a 4-year old, and sent those images to her co-defendant Jason Kopp. Jason Kopp previously pled guilty to a 28-count indictment charging conspiracy to sexually exploit children, child sexual exploitation, and other child pornography offenses. On September 13, 2016, he was sentenced to serve 235 years in prison.

 

This case was investigated by the Albany Field Office of the FBI (Syracuse Resident Agency), the New York State Police and the Metropolitan Police Department-Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Task Force (Washington Field Office), and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa Fletcher and Robert Levine.

 

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.

Updated December 5, 2017

Topic
Project Safe Childhood