Colonie man pleads guilty to sexual exploitation

If convicted, he faces a prison sentence of 15 to 60 years

SYRACUSE – Thomas Berrington, 33, of Colonie, pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday, September 25, to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child. The plea was announced by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Albany Field Office.

As part of his guilty plea, Berrington admitted that he repeatedly sexually abused a minor female child between June 2023 and January 2024 for the purpose of photographing and videotaping the abuse. The victim was eight years old when Berrington abused her.

At sentencing, currently scheduled for January 30 in Albany, Berrington faces a prison term of between 15 and 60 years, a term of post-release supervision between 5 years and life, and a fine of up to $250,000. Berrington will also be ordered to pay restitution to the victim, forfeit the device used in the crime and be required to register as a sex offender. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant violated, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, consisting of FBI special agents and state and local police investigators, including from the New York State Police and the Colonie Police Department.