ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Austin Pratt, 32, of Conesus, NY, pleaded guilty to enticement of a minor before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa M. Marangola, who is handling the case, stated that between November 2018 and February 2019, the defendant, while working as a school athletic trainer, engaged in an ongoing relationship with the minor victim. Pratt used Instagram and Facebook to communicate with the minor, encouraging the victim to engage in a sexual relationship and to exchange sexually explicit photos with him.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Barry Chase; the Rochester Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; and the Livingston County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney Gregory J. McCaffrey.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 11, 2021, at 3:30 p.m. before Judge Wolford.
