Schenectady Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Enticement of a Minor

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Michael E. Robbins, II, age 27, of Schenectady, New York, pled guilty today to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.  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), made the announcement.

Robbins admitted that between February and March 2021, he exchanged sexually explicit messages online with an undercover officer posing as a 12-year-old girl, in an attempt to entice the presumed child into engaging in sexual acts with him.  Robbins admitted that he initiated the conversations with the presumed minor after locating her in an online chat group for teens in the (518) area code.  Robbins further admitted that he arranged to meet the minor on March 18, 2021 at a location in Latham, New York, and he traveled from Rensselaer to Latham on that date with the intent to engage in sexual acts with the presumed 12-year-old child.  Robbins was arrested by law enforcement shortly after arriving at the location.

Robbins pled guilty on the day his trial was supposed to begin.

United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby will sentence Robbins on July 13, 2023. Robbins faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment 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.

This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department and the New York State Police.  Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin S. Clark and Michael D. Gadarian are prosecuting this case 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.