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Sugar Cookie

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A Cortland County couple is now facing federal sex charges, a week after their arrest for allegedly abusing a child and possessing child pornography.

Christopher M. Perry, 35, and his girlfriend Sarah R. Gates, 38, were charged Thursday in Syracuse federal court with felony sexual exploitation of a child.

The Cortland Police Department, arrested Perry and Gates on April 4 after executing a search warrant, accused the couple of sexually abusing a girl under the age of 11 over the span of one-and-a-half to two years.

In federal court documents made public Thursday, a special agent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the investigation was launched after New York State Police were forwarded a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The tip alleged child pornography had been uploaded to Facebook from Perry's residence.

When state police executed a search warrant at Perry's home, they found two cellphones, at least one of which allegedly contained images of a girl being subjected to sexually explicit conduct by Perry and Gates.

Court documents indicate the girl was approximately 5 years old, and the images depicting sexual abuse appear to have been produced between 2017 and 2019.
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April 9, 2020
Christopher M. Perry, 36, of Cortland, New York, pled guilty today to a two-count information charging that he, together with Sarah R. Gates, conspired to sexually exploit, and sexually exploited, a child under five years of age for the purpose of producing images of the abuse.

The announcement was made by the United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Kevin M. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

As part of his guilty plea, Perry admitted that on several occasions in 2017, he and Sarah R. Gates performed sexual acts on the child while taking photographs of the abuse, using two cell phones.

Sarah R. Gates is charged by complaint with the same offenses, which are merely accusations, and she is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy will sentence Perry on August 18, 2020. Each of the three crimes to which Christopher M. Perry pled guilty carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
 
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Where did they get the kid?
The child must be related to them, due to the incest charge.
... felony counts of predatory sexual assault against a child and first-degree criminal sexual act, as well as incest, rape and use of a child in a sexual performance.

 
November 5, 2020
The federal child sexual exploitation case against a city woman continues to progress, while her lover was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison for his part in the abuse of their two-year-old relative, according to federal officials.

Sarah R. Gates’ case is pending in US Court where she is charged with sexual exploitation of a child, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Gates is not convicted and there is no date scheduled for a guilty plea or sentencing, stated a US Court Clerk this morning.

In a sworn statement to city police, Gates claimed her paramour, Christopher M. Perry, instigated the abuse. Perry was sentenced Tuesday to 45 years in prison after he was convicted of sexually assaulting the toddler multiple times in 2017 and photographing the assaults to create child pornography, according to the US Attorney’s Office. As part of his guilty plea, Perry admitted he conspired and acted with Gates in the attacks, the office notes.

Federal Judge Thomas J. McAvoy also sentenced Perry to 15 years of supervised release after he leaves prison, which is not scheduled to happen until 2065. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

City police Lt. Michael Strangeway said Wednesday that he was gratified Perry received such a long sentence, but could never be satisfied that any sentence would ever be enough for the convicted abuser.

“What they did to that child — I can’t think of a word strong enough to describe how despicable and sick these people were,” Strangeway said. “I can’t think of a sentence long enough for what they did, but 45 years is a good start.”
During the search, police found photographs and videos of Perry and Gates having oral sex with the child and the child being raped, he said. Other child pornography depicting unknown children was also discovered, Strangeway said.

Perry was prosecuted as part of a federal, state and local partnership called “Project Safe Childhood,” according to the US Attorney’s Office.
 
Sarah Gates, 40, pleaded guilty months after the man involved, Christopher Perry, began a 45-year prison sentence himself.

Gates admitted she helped record Perry abusing the 3-year-old girl multiple times in 2017, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Syracuse. The porn was discovered after Perry uploaded an image to Facebook servers in 2018, authorities have said.

Gates faces a minimum of 15 years in prison when sentenced in July.
 
Sarah R. Gates, age 40, of Cortland, New York, was sentenced yesterday to serve 540 months (45 years) in prison for conspiring and acting together with co-defendant Christopher Perry to sexually exploit a child under five years of age for the purpose of producing images of the abuse. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Kevin Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).


As part of her prior guilty plea to a three-count Information, Gates admitted that on several occasions in 2017, she and Perry performed sexual acts on the child while taking photographs of the abuse, using two cell phones.


Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy also imposed a 15-year term of supervised release, which will start after Gates is released from prison. As a result of her conviction, Gates will also be required to register as a sex offender upon her release from prison.


Perry previously pled guilty to the same offenses and was sentenced, on November 3, 2020, to 540 months (45 years) in prison.
 
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