DA: Resident pleads guilty in child exploitation case | News

Tyreke Blackmon, 30, of Schenectady, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of promoting sexual activity to a child, felonies, prosecutors said.

Blackmon admitted to sending child pornography to another person he was communicating with on an online dating app, prosecutors said.

Blackmon will later be sentenced to seven years in state prison, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, the child victim was known to Blackmon. Prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to identify the older person in the video.

Authorities were trying to identify the child in the original video and image. Investigators found the child and authorities took steps to ensure the child’s safety, prosecutors said.

The investigation began on Nov. 3, 2023, when a good Samaritan contacted authorities, prosecutors said.

A man said he was dating another user of an online dating app, and while discussing the possibility of going on a date, the other user sent him videos and images of child sexual abuse, prosecutors said.

Investigators from the Schenectady Police Department’s Bureau of Youth Services, assisted by the FBI’s Joint Federal and Local Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, used investigative techniques to determine the sender’s location and identity, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said the dating app name and IP address used were traced back to accounts linked to Blackmon.

Authorities then obtained a search warrant and seized electronics from Blackmon, prosecutors said. They were then sent to the New York State Police Computer Crimes Unit, where authorities found additional images of child exploitation material on Blackmon’s cellphone, prosecutors said.

Authorities then identified the dates and websites where the images originated, prosecutors said.

“This horrific exploitation of a young child was thoroughly investigated by members of multiple law enforcement agencies who worked together to identify both the child and the perpetrator,” Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney said in a statement. “These cases require a lot of resources and time. All of the agencies committed these resources to this case, and because of what they did, we were able to protect this child, stop the exploitation, and punish the perpetrator. I applaud their joint efforts.”

The head of the Special Victims Bureau, John J. Carson is being chased. Blackmon was represented by attorney Mark Judah. Judge Matthew J. presided. Sypnevsky

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