Zachary Cota, a 32-year-old from Castleton-on-Hudson, New York, received a sentence of 292 months in prison for the receiving of child pornography, a declaration made by United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office, Craig L. Tremaroli, informed the public.
According to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Cota previously leveraged the social media platform SnapChat to solicit nude photos from children coaxing an 8-year-old and a 13-year-old into providing him with such material, then subsequently threatened exposure to extract more images from these minors, even as he stood on probation from a prior conviction for sexual misconduct against a child when these crimes were committed he still persisted in his abuses.
During a check by his probation officer, Cota ensconced himself within a bathroom and attempted to delete the evidence from his phone, however, following a forensic examination, further 900 images of child pornography were discovered, including screenshots evidencing a video chat with an unclothed minor. "Cota’s depraved and disgusting conduct has justly resulted in a lengthy term of imprisonment that will make our community safer," United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated in the press release.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli told the U.S. Attorney's Office, "Today’s sentence underscores the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protecting children from dangerous predators like Mr. Cota," and pledges the FBI’s partnership with law enforcement at all levels to bring such individuals to justice and aid the victims these disturbing individuals target with the intention to harm.
Following his sentencing, U.S. District Judge Anne M. Nardacci imposed a life term of supervised release and ordered the forfeiture of the Samsung phone used by Cota in the commission of his offenses. He is also required to maintain his sex offender registration after release. The case was resolved through the efforts of the FBI Albany Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner, under Project Safe Childhood, a federal initiative aimed at addressing child sexual exploitation and abuse.
