Tioga County Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Enticement of a Minor

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Joseph Swansbrough, age 33, of Willseyville, New York, pled guilty today to attempted enticement and coercion of a minor, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

As part of his guilty plea, Swansbrough admitted that, between September and October 2021, he exchanged sexually explicit messages online with an undercover officer posing as a 10-year-old child in an attempt to entice the child into engaging in sexual acts with him.  Swansbrough also admitted that, on October 12, 2021, he traveled from his home in Tioga County to a prearranged meeting location in Broome County, New York, with the intent to engage in sexual acts with the 10-year-old child.  Swansbrough was arrested upon arrival at the location and was found in possession of candy he had promised to bring to the child.

The charge against Swansbrough carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life.  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.  As a result of his conviction in this matter, Swansbrough will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

Swansbrough’s sentencing is currently scheduled for March 22, 2023, in Syracuse before United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby.

This case was investigated by the FBI Syracuse Mid-State Child Exploitation Task Force, comprised of FBI Special Agents and Investigators of the New York State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and Computer Crimes Unit (CCU).  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Geoffrey J. L. Brown, Jessica N. Carbone, and Adrian S. LaRochelle as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s 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.