Binghamton Man Sentenced for Enticing Minors to Engage in Sexual Conduct

March 2, 2010 - Richard S. Hartunian, United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York; John F. Pikus, Special Agent-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Albany Division; David Smith, Acting Chief of Johnson City Police Department; and James Dadamio, Director of Broome County Security Division, make the following announcement:

As a result of an investigation conducted by members of the Southern Tier Cyber Predator Task Force (STCPTF)1, defendant Mark McGrath, 32, of Binghamton, New York, was sentenced today in Binghamton Federal Court to 10 years in federal prison and 15 years of supervised release to follow his imprisonment term. McGrath had been indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in Binghamton, New York on charges of persuading, inducing, and enticing minors to engage in sexual conduct.

The indictment charged that defendant, using facilities or means of interstate or foreign commerce, including text messaging, instant messaging, wire communications, and other transmissions by use of computers and cellular telephones, knowingly attempted to and did persuade, induce, entice, or coerce minors to engage in sexual activity.

On September 23, 2009, defendant McGrath entered a guilty plea to the indictment. By pleading guilty, McGrath admitted that on December 10, 2008, he used a computer at the Broome County Public Library to open and create a MySpace account with a profile/identity of “Cristal,” a 15-year-old girl. McGrath also admitted that after he opened the MySpace account pretending to be 15-year-old “Cristal,” McGrath utilized computers at the library and elsewhere on numerous occasions pretending to be 15-year-old “Cristal” in order to strike up Internet conversations with teenage minor boys. McGrath further admitted that he used the computers in order to chat and communicate with minors on MySpace and elsewhere on the Internet; that he told the minors that he was a 15-year-old girl named “Cristal;” that he told the minors that he attended East Middle School in Binghamton, New York; and that during many of the chats and communications with minors, McGrath engaged the minors in conversations about sexual acts, sexual activities, the type of sex in which he and they were interested, and whether they would be interested in having sexual acts with a man. McGrath also admitted that on January 2, 2009 he specifically communicated with a minor in the Johnson City, New York area and discussed sexual activities with the minor via instant messaging and MySpace.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Miroslav Lovric. Further inquiries may be directed to the United States Attorney’s Office, Binghamton branch office at (607) 773-2887.

The Southern Tier Cyber Predator Task Force (STCPTF) consists of the following agencies: New York State Police; Binghamton Police Department; Broome County District Attorney’s Office; Broome County Security Division; Broome County Sheriff’s Office; Endicott Police Department; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Johnson City Police Department; Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office; Tioga County Sheriff’s Office; Delaware County Sheriff’s Office; Ithaca Police Department; Cortland Police Department; SUNY Binghamton University Police; Vestal Police Department; and Cornell University Police.