Lewis County man sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexual exploitation of children

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WWTI) – A 36-year-old Lewis County man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually exploiting children.

In a news release from the United States Department of Justice, Nathan Hotchkiss received a sentence of 30 years in prison on Wednesday, May 29 in the Northern District Court.

Hotchkiss pleaded guilty in August of 2023 on two counts of sexual exploitation of a child. He’ll also be under post-release supervision for the rest of his life.

The Department of Justice said that Hotchkiss admitted to sexually exploiting two children under the age of five. He also admitted to live-streaming and distributing depictions of the sexual abuse online for cash. This occurred from Oct. 2021 to Aug. 2022.

Hotchkiss also had a collection of child pornography when arrested in Aug. 2022 that was obtained via the internet and via social media messengers according to the DOJ.

He was also ordered to pay $18,000 in restitution to his victims and to give up the electronic devices he used to commit the crimes. Hotchkiss will also have to register as a sex offender after being released from prison.

Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case with the assistance of the New York State Police and the Lewis County District Attorney’s Office as part of Project Safe Childhood.

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