Cortland Man Admits Sexually Exploiting Child Under 5 Years Old
A Cortland man will be sentenced in August to up to 90 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually exploiting a child under the age of five.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 36-year-old Christopher Perry pleaded guilty last week to three crimes, each carrying a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
He admitted he, in conspiracy with another suspect, Sarah Gates, were involved in sexually exploiting the child for the purpose of producing images of the abuse.
As part of his guilty plea, Perry admitted that on several occasions in 2017, he and Gates preformed sexual acts on the child while taking pictures using two cell phones.
Gates is charged with the same offenses but has yet to stand trial and is presumed innocent.
Federal prosecutors say each of the three crimes to which Perry pleaded guilty carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.