Charles Wager, 57, of Castleton-on-Hudson, New York, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted by a jury in February 2023 for attempting to entice a minor into unlawful sexual activities. At the time of the offense, Wager was required to register as a sex offender due to a previous conviction for raping a minor.
According to evidence presented at trial, between January and February 2021, Wager exchanged thousands of sexually explicit text messages with individuals he believed were a 10-year-old girl and her mother. The communications included sharing pornography with the presumed child as part of an effort to groom her for sexual activity. Wager also described various sexual acts he intended to perform with the child, sent nude photographs of himself, and proposed giving toys and treats as rewards for engaging in sexual acts.
Wager arranged an in-person meeting with the supposed mother and child and purchased a car specifically for this purpose. On February 5, 2021, he traveled from Castleton-on-Hudson to Binghamton, New York, bringing numerous toys intended as rewards. He was arrested shortly after arriving and has remained detained since then.
The trial also revealed that Wager pleaded guilty in Rensselaer County Court in 2002 to rape in the third degree after admitting to raping a then-15-year-old girl. He has been required to register as a sex offender since that conviction. Additional evidence showed that Wager had previously molested two other minors decades earlier using similar grooming tactics.
“Charles Wager is one of the most dangerous child predators our office has ever prosecuted, and that speaks volumes,” said Acting United States Attorney Sarcone. “We will continue to unleash the full powers of the federal government to hold these twisted and evil people accountable for their vile and despicable crimes. I commend the FBI for its flawless operation to bring this repeat, remorseless child predator to justice.”
Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli stated: “Today’s significant sentence put an end to Mr. Wager’s horrific history of sexual abuse and vile behavior. This dangerous individual will now spend decades in federal prison where he can no longer harm any of our children. The FBI remains as dedicated as ever to ensuring any individual seeking to harm our most vulnerable is swiftly identified, investigated, and brought to justice.”
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force—a group including members from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies such as the Colonie Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin S. Clark and Thomas R. Sutcliffe prosecuted this case under Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices alongside the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). The program coordinates resources across multiple levels of government aimed at locating offenders who exploit children online while also working toward identifying victims.
More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
