Man faces 10 years in prison

Sex offender failed to register, police say

ALBANY, N.Y. » A Moreau man faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for allegedly failing to register as a sex offender.

Jonathon Rule, 28, of Moreau, was arraigned on an indictment Monday and sent to jail pending trial.

The indictment alleges that Rule moved to Moreau from Detroit, Mich. in January 2016, and lived there for approximately two years without registering as a sex offender, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says.

Rule appeared by United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart in Albany.

If convicted, Rule could also be sentenced to a term of post-imprisonment supervised release for at least 5 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, U.S. sentencing guidelines and related factors.

The case is being investigated by the United States Marshals Service Sex Offender Investigation Branch and state police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon.

The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.

Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims.