Source: Office of United States Attorneys
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Michael Cardwell, age 40, of Rensselaer County, was sentenced today to 30 years in prison, to be followed by 25 years of supervised release, for sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Cardwell admitted that he sexually abused an approximately 7-year-old girl over a period of months in 2023 and early 2024, and created sexually explicit images of that victim. Cardwell also acknowledged that he had a collection of approximately 1,000 CSAM files that he obtained on the internet, including pictures of prepubescent children engaged in sexual activity.
United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also ordered $30,000 in restitution to victims and forfeiture of the property used to commit the offenses. Cardwell will have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said: “The sentence today reflects the egregiousness of Cardwell’s conduct and ensures the public will be protected against future crimes by him for decades to come. I appreciate the hard work of the FBI and our state and local partners on this important prosecution.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig A. Tremaroli stated: “This sentence reinforces the message that the victimization of innocent children will not be tolerated by law enforcement. The FBI will continue to meticulously investigate these crimes, which cause irreparable harm and trauma to the victims.”
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the New York State Police, and the Troy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.