A Delaware County man, Brent G. Trimbell, 44, was arrested Sunday evening and appeared in federal court on a charge of sexual exploitation of a child. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the FBI.
According to the complaint, Trimbell allegedly exchanged sexually explicit messages with a female child victim and persuaded her to create and send him videos depicting sexually explicit conduct. The complaint further alleges that Trimbell had sexual contact with the victim on at least three occasions and sent her videos of himself engaging in sexual acts.
Trimbell had previously been charged by state authorities for related offenses but was released on bail late last week.
If convicted of the federal charge, Trimbell faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to 30 years, supervised release ranging from five years to life, a fine up to $250,000, forfeiture of property used in committing the offense, restitution to the victim, and mandatory sex offender registration.
Acting U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “Trimbell was charged with serious state sex offenses but was released on bail. Now, Trimbell is in federal custody—facing serious federal offenses—which if convicted, will result in a mandatory term of imprisonment of 15 years. This is how we keep the children in our community safe.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli said: “FBI Albany is incredibly thankful for the swift coordination from our partners at the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office and United States Attorney’s Office that has now resulted in serious federal charges against Mr. Trimbell. The FBI, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to coordinate with our state and local partners to share the information and resources needed to ensure anyone hurting our most vulnerable is investigated and brought to justice.”
After his initial appearance, Trimbell was remanded into custody pending further proceedings.
The indictment contains only accusations; Trimbell is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The investigation involves both the FBI and Delaware County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian is prosecuting as part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices aimed at combating child sexual exploitation online through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies (https://www.justice.gov/psc).
