Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced today that a New Rochelle man was sentenced to 21 years in state prison for sexual acts involving three children in Westchester County, as well as for the possession and creation of images and videos of children engaged in sexual acts, between 2019 and 2023.
DA Rocah said: “After years of preying upon children and inflicting unspeakable trauma on his victims, this defendant has been brought to justice and removed
from our community.”
The defendant, Jason Ricketts, 23, pleaded guilty on Jan. 29 to two counts of Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the First Degree, Criminal Sexual Act
in the Second Degree, and Promoting an Obscene Sexual Performance by a Child, all felonies.
The defendant appeared before New York State Supreme Court Judge James McCarty and was also sentenced to 20 years of post-release supervision. He is
also required to register as a sex offender. The defendant first met his victims in person at locations where children gather and befriended them by deceiving the children and their parents into believing that he was younger than he was. The defendant methodically gained the trust of his victims, even using substances with them before engaging in sexual acts with his victims, which he filmed. When the victims tried to leave or stop engaging, the defendant indicated that he would post the videos and images to social media accounts.
The sexual abuse began in 2019, when the victims were 12 years old, and continued until 2023.
With assistance from the New Rochelle Police Department, the DA’s Office investigators seized multiple devices from the defendant’s home. The defendant
admitted to using Dropbox. Subsequent forensic analysis of the defendant’s phone revealed a photo vault disguised as a calculator app containing dozens of videos and photos of the defendant performing sexual actson children, which led investigators to identify three child victims in Westchester County.
The Child Abuse Bureau and the Special Prosecutions Unit located the three minors and their families, who agreed to work with the DA’s Office.
The DA’s Office arrested the defendant on Feb. 2, 2023, and seized an additional device, which revealed internet searches regarding how to remotely wipe
devices, whether a person’s age can be determined through a video, and attorneys who specialize in defending individuals charged with sex offenses.
The defendant has remained in custody at the Westchester County Jail since his arrest.
