Serial child predator sentenced to at least 10 years

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - In late April, a Schenectady man was convicted after trial in a child pornography possession case. Now, Ryan Clark, 38, faces an aggregate of 10 to 30 years behind bars after he was sentenced Monday in Schenectady County Court.

Clark was originally convicted of a total of 50 counts of possession of a sexual performance by a child, all felonies. The trial began on April 19, 2022, and Clark was found guilty one week later on April 26, after the jury deliberated for just 45 minutes, prosecutors said.

The investigation began in March 2019, when the Troy Police Department started a separate investigation into alleged criminal conduct by Clark. Later, on April 22, 2019, investigators carried out search warrants at two addresses in Troy and Schenectady tied to Clark. At the Schenectady location, over 20 electronic devices were seized.

Sent to the New York State Police Computer Crimes Unit in Latham, Senior Investigator William Martin analyzed the devices and found more than 1,000 pictures of child exploitation on one of the hard drives. Many had been deleted, but Martin was able to recover them. Martin also found other evidence on the hard drive linking Clark to its use and possession, including family photos, personal emails, social media usage, and online shopping.

Each count Clark was convicted of carried 16 months to four years in prison. Clark was sentenced to one to three years in state prison on each count by Judge Mark J. Caruso on Monday, for the 10 to 30-year aggregate. Under New York State Criminal Procedure Law, Clark can not actually serve a sentence longer than 10 to 20 years regardless of the sentence imposed. Clark will be required to register as a sex offender once he gets out of prison.

The case was tried by Assistant District Attorney John J. Carson on behalf of the Schenectady County District Attorney's Office. Assistant Schenectady County Conflict Defender Joseph Gardner represented Clark. Judge Mark J. Caruso presided over the trial.