A 63-year-old Utica man has pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material found on his cell phone and tablet, and because of a sodomy conviction from nearly three decades ago, he now faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison. Jeffrey Schreck's devices contained numerous images and videos depicting children as young as 2 years old being sexually abused, according to federal officials.
Schreck pleaded guilty to the charge, as reported by the Oneida Dispatch. Officials said the abuse material was discovered on his devices in February. The case carries extra weight because Schreck was convicted in December 1997 of two counts of second-degree sodomy under New York state law after officials said he sexually abused an 11-year-old female child.
That old conviction is what transforms Schreck's current case from a relatively modest federal exposure into a decade-plus prison term. Under 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(b)(2), simple possession of child sexual abuse material normally carries up to 10 years with no mandatory minimum — but a qualifying prior state conviction for sexual abuse or sodomy against a minor raises that to a mandatory 10 to 20 years. Schreck also faces a fine of up to $250,000 and a supervised release term of at least five years, potentially for life.
A Legal Mechanism Built for Repeat Offenders
The sentencing enhancement isn't new or unique to Schreck's case. The Second Circuit's 2022 ruling in United States v. Ragonese established that a prior New York felony conviction for sexual conduct or sodomy against a minor categorically qualifies as a predicate offense triggering these mandatory minimums, according to the Federal Defenders of New York Second Circuit Blog. That precedent gives federal courts in New York firm legal ground for imposing the harsher range whenever a defendant's criminal history includes this kind of conviction.
First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III did not mince words about what the enhancement means for Schreck. “This defendant's recidivism has landed him back in jail, this time, for 10 to 20 years,” Sarcone said. He added that the priority is to find and prosecute people who victimize children through hands-on abuse or trafficking and possession of child pornography, and said authorities remain dedicated to protecting children with law enforcement partners.
Anthony Patrone, acting special agent in charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations, echoed that concern about repeat offenders. Patrone said Schreck's prior conviction and later possession of child sexual abuse material show the ongoing danger that repeat offenders pose. Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case with assistance from the New York State Police, consistent with the agency's broader role overseeing child exploitation investigations across Western and Central New York through its Buffalo field office.
Part of a Wider Federal Push Across Upstate New York
Schreck's prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to unite U.S. Attorneys' Offices, HSI, the FBI, and state police in investigating online child sexual exploitation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Carbone and Adrian LaRochelle are prosecuting the case under that program. The initiative has produced a string of similar outcomes across the region this year: in May, federal prosecutors in Schenectady County secured a guilty plea with the same 10-to-20-year enhancement against a defendant with a prior 2001 rape conviction, and in July, an Oswego County man who reoffended on supervised release by possessing abuse material on an unreported cellphone pleaded guilty and faced potential imprisonment of up to 40 years.
Just two days before Schreck's case was reported, federal authorities in the Northern District of New York secured a 60-month prison sentence for a 28-year-old Utica man convicted of child pornography possession following an FBI Albany Field Office investigation. The pattern reflects what the research around these cases describes as a structural advantage of federal prosecution: while state courts often face statutory limits on sentencing for non-violent possessory charges, Project Safe Childhood routes these cases into federal court, where recidivist enhancements like the one Schreck faces allow for long-term detention.
Sentencing Set for February in Syracuse
Schreck is scheduled to be sentenced February 5, 2027, before Chief U.S. District Judge Brenda K. Sannes in Syracuse, where the Northern District of New York holds jurisdiction across 32 Central and Upstate New York counties. A judge will determine his exact sentence within the statutory range based on applicable statutes, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. Upon release from prison, Schreck must register as a sex offender.
That registration obligation stems from New York's Sex Offender Registration Act, enacted in 1996, which requires individuals convicted of felony sex offenses — including sodomy and child pornography crimes — to register with the state's Division of Criminal Justice Services. Offenders classified at Level 2 or Level 3 risk are subject to lifetime registration, according to Dupée & Monroe, PC. Combined with a federal supervised release term that could extend for the rest of his life, Schreck's case illustrates how deeply the consequences of a decades-old conviction can resurface in a new prosecution.
