Rensselaer County man pleads guilty to child sex crimes

RENSSELAER COUNTY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- 39-year-old Michael Cardwell of Rensselaer County pleaded guilty in a child sex crime case on Thursday, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported. Cardwell now faces over a decade in prison.

In his plea, Cardwell confessed to repeatedly sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl for several months, as well as using the victim to create explicit images. He further admitted to using the internet to download over 1,000 pictures depicting children younger than 13 being forced to engage in sexual activity.

Caldwell, whose sentencing is scheduled for May 23, faces 15 to 50 years in prison, in addition to a probation term of five years to life. He will also be required to pay a fine of up to $250,000, pay restitution to his victims, forfeit any devices used in his crimes, and register as a sex offender after being released.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gadarian is prosecuting the case. The investigation was conducted by the Albany Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, state police, and the Troy Police Department.