Hagaman man accused of child sexual exploitation ordered held

PHOTOGRAPHER: Shutterstock Image

John D. Salisbury

ALBANY – A Hagaman man indicted earlier this month on child sexual exploitation charges has been ordered held pending trial.

John D. Salisbury, 47, appeared in federal court in Albany last week for a detention hearing after his indictment. Federal prosecutors argued he should be held based on risk of flight and community danger, while his defense argued he should be released pending trial.

Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel sided with prosecutors that Salisbury should be held, finding Salisbury should be detained pending trial as a danger to the community.

Salisbury’s trial is currently set for May in Syracuse.

Salisbury was indicted earlier this month in U.S. District Court in Albany on four counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of transportation of child pornography. He appeared then and was ordered held pending the detention hearing. He pleaded not guilty.

The federal charges are largely based on accusations leveled against Salisbury at the time of his December 2017 arrest by state police.

The state charges accused Salisbury of possessing and uploading an image of a child engaged in a sexual performance and of unlawful surveillance.

The Leader-Herald reported at the time of Salisbury’s initial arrest that he was a volunteer at St. Mary’s Institute in Amsterdam and coached the after-school junior girls’ basketball team.

The federal charges accuse Salisbury of using a child to “engage in sexually explicit conduct” and producing images of that conduct. The indictment places the dates of the conduct between October 2016 and February 2017.

Salisbury is also accused of transporting child pornography between Aug. 22 and Sept. 14, 2017 over the internet, according to the indictment.

Salisbury is represented by attorney Gerard V. Amedio. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet J. O’Hanlon is prosecuting.

Also Sunday: