Man pleads guilty in child porn case

ALBANY — A Castleton-on-Hudson man pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography and faces a prison sentence of up to more than 27 years, according to federal prosecutors.

Zachary Cota, 31, admitted to using Snapchat to solicit nude photos from three children, the U.S. Department of Justice said. When two of them, an 8-year-old and 9-year-old, provided the photos, he threatened to reveal the act to obtain additional child pornography from them, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

At the time, Cota was on probation for engaging in sexual misconduct against a child. When his probation officer asked to see his phone, he locked himself in a bathroom and started deleting its contents, authorities said. A search of his phone revealed an additional 900 images of child pornography, including screenshots of a video chat between Cota and a naked child, federal prosecutors said.

Cota is scheduled to receive his sentence from U.S. District Judge Anne M. Nardacci on Sept. 6. He faces a minimum of 21 years and 10 months, up to 27 years and three months, along with a fine of up to $250,000 and a lifetime term of supervised release. Additionally, he agreed to surrender the phone used in the crimes and will be required to register as a sex offender upon release from prison.

Cota’s case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which included members of the Rotterdam, Troy and Colonie police departments, as well as the State Police.