A Rensselaer County man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually exploiting a child and possessing child sexual abuse material. Michael Cardwell, 40, will also serve 25 years of supervised release after his prison term.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Cardwell admitted to sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl over several months in 2023 and early 2024. He also acknowledged collecting approximately 1,000 files of child sexual abuse material from the internet, including images of prepubescent children.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide program focused on combating child sexual exploitation. United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also ordered Cardwell to pay $30,000 in restitution, forfeit property used during the crimes, and register as a sex offender upon release.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the New York State Police, and the Troy Police Department. Project Safe Childhood brings together federal, state, and local agencies to detect and prosecute internet-based child exploitation and assist in victim recovery.
