A Delaware County man, Brent G. Trimbell, 44, was arrested on Sunday and appeared in federal court on a charge of sexual exploitation of a child. The arrest was announced by Acting 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).
According to the complaint, Trimbell exchanged sexually explicit messages with a female child victim and persuaded her to create and send him videos showing sexually explicit conduct through social media. The complaint further alleges that Trimbell had sexual contact with the victim on at least three occasions and sent her videos depicting himself masturbating.
Trimbell was initially charged by state authorities for related sex offenses but was released on bail late last week.
If convicted, Trimbell faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years, supervised release ranging from five years to life, a fine up to $250,000, forfeiture of property used in the offense, restitution to the victim, and registration as a sex offender.
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 by the United States Marshals Service pending further proceedings.
The charges are accusations at this stage; Trimbell is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by 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 national initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) that coordinates efforts among federal, state, and local agencies to address child sexual exploitation online and identify victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
