A former New York pastor has been sentenced to three years in prison for possession of child sex abuse material (CSAM). James Swanson, formerly of Rome Wesleyan Church in Rome, New York, will undergo 15 years of supervised release after he has completed his prison sentence.
Swanson, 59, will also be required to pay $8,000 in fees and restitution.
According to Daily Sentinel, authorities were alerted to Swanson’s illegal activity by Google in March 2022 after Swanson uploaded CSAM to his Gmail account.
After opening an investigation and interviewing Swanson, authorities discovered that for years, Swanson would periodically download CSAM images before purging them and later downloading more.
Swanson was taken into custody in September 2023.
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While the charges against Swanson meant he faced up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, he received a lighter sentence in exchange for pleading guilty. As part of the agreement, Swanson admitted to a years-long pattern of behavior involving CSAM.
Swanson will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
According to a statement from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, Swanson had served as a pastor “for decades,” most recently at the Rome Wesleyan Church.
The investigation that led to Swanson’s arrest was a collaborative effort involving Homeland Security, the New York State Police, and the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office.
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ChurchLeaders has reached out to Rome Wesleyan Church for comment and will update this article in the event of a response.
