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Rensselaer County resident Charles Wager, age 55, of the village of Castleton-on-Hudson in the town of Schodack, was found guilty of attempting to entice a minor into engaging in unlawful sexual activities in federal court in Utica on Thursday, Feb. 2.
Prosecutors said Wager exchanged thousands of sexually explicit text messages with who he thought was a 10-year-old girl and her mother, in January and February 2021. He sent nude photos of himself and discussed performing various sex acts with the child.
In February 2021, Wager arranged to meet the presumed child and her mother with the intention of having sex with the child, according to investigators. He then drove the 150 miles from Castleton-on-Hudson to Binghamton to meet them, where undercover agents arrested him.
He now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years to life in prison, along with a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is set for June 2023.
According to prosecutors, Wager previously pleaded guilty to third-degree rape in Rensselaer County in 2002 after admitting that he had sex with a 15-year-old girl. He has since admitted to sexually molesting two other minor victims several decades ago.
The case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood, a coordinated effort between local, state, and federal agencies to track down individuals who exploit children using the internet.
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