Columbia County Registered Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child Pornography ALBANY, NEW YORK – Registered sex offender Donald Heald, 43, of Columbia County, pled guilty to distributing child pornography and possession of child pornography following a previous conviction for attempted sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 13. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.Heald was previously arrested and detained on a complaint charging him with distribution of child pornography filed on July 3, 2025.
In his plea, Heald admitted to knowingly possessing at least 126 videos containing child sex abuse material, including numerous videos that he knowingly distributed to others. Some of the videos depicted the sexual abuse of infants. In 2016, Heald was convicted in Columbia County Court of the New York State felony offense of attempted sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 13. He has been required to register as a sex offender ever since.“This repeat offender has once again been caught by law enforcement for his illicit behavior,” said First Assistant U.S.
Attorney John A. Sarcone III. “Our partners at the FBI and Project Safe Childhood are relentlessly pursuing those who seek to exploit children, and my office will ensure we bring them to justice.”FBI Albany Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli said, “Mr.
Heald, already a registered sex offender, admitted to perpetuating the abuse of children by both possessing and distributing child pornography. This sick behavior will send him to federal prison for at least 15 years. The FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force is steadfast in our mission to work with our law enforcement partners at every level to ensure these dangerous predators are held accountable for their demented actions.”Heald is scheduled to be sentenced on November 17, 2026, before the Hon. Anne M.
Nardacci. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. Heald will also be required to pay restitution to the victims of his crimes and will have to continue his sex offender registration requirements upon his release from prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute(s) the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S.
Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.The FBI is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Clark is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Led by the U.S. Attorneys' 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.