A South African citizen formerly living in Sackets Harbor was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material, prosecutors said.
Marcell M. Meyer, 45, admitted using a social-networking app to send videos to a person he believed was a 13-year-old child but who was an undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent.
Investigators also found child sexual abuse material on Meyer's phone when he was arrested, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York.
U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Brindisi ordered five years of supervised release after prison, sex-offender registration and $21,000 in restitution. Meyer will be eligible for deportation proceedings after his release.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with help from New York State Police, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and federal prosecutors in Maine.
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