A Scotia man faces at least 10 years in federal prison when he is sentenced in February after admitting an attempt to arrange sexual contact with a 10-year-old boy and possession of child pornography.
Zachary Long, 27, is scheduled to appear for sentencing Feb. 19, 2027, following guilty pleas entered Oct. 19 before U.S. District Judge Mae D’Agostino, according to federal prosecutors.
The offenses carry a maximum of life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and supervised release of five years to life. Long will also have to register as a sex offender and forfeit property used in the crimes.
His admissions concern communications from Aug. 22 through Sept. 27, 2023, with someone he believed was the uncle of a 10-year-old boy. The messages sought to arrange sexual contact with the child.
Long traveled to the planned meeting location Sept. 27 intending that contact and was arrested there. Long also admitted possessing child pornography on his phone, prosecutors said.
The FBI’s investigation included its Child Exploitation Task Force, with members from State Police and the Colonie Police Department.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York is prosecuting the case through Project Safe Childhood, the Justice Department’s initiative against child sexual exploitation.
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