Jacob Gorman, 39, of Waverly, New York, pled guilty Tuesday to attempted online enticement of a minor. As part of his guilty plea, Gorman admitted that between August 11 -27 he exchanged text messages with an undercover officer he believed was the mother of a 9-year old girl. In those messages, Gorman expressed an interest in meeting the child and engaging in sex acts with her. Gorman negotiated a price he was willing to pay and on August 27 drove to a pre-determined location in Broome County, where he was encountered by law enforcement and arrested.
Before he was suspended, Gorman was employed as a social worker at Greater Southern Tier BOCES at the Phoenix Academy in Horseheads, according to GST BOCES officials.
As a result of his conviction, Gorman faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life, a maximum fine of $250,000 and a term of supervised release between five years and life. He will also be required to register as a sex offender. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
This case is being investigated by the FBI Syracuse Mid-State Child Exploitation Task Force. This task force is comprised of FBI Special Agents and Investigators of the New York State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey J. L. Brown as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s 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
