A former upstate New York school bus driver admitted he bribed a young student with “nicotine and other gifts” in exchange for dozens of sexually explicit photos and videos, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
Frederick Haresign, 62, a onetime driver for the Fulton City School District, pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexual exploitation of a child and faces 10 years in prison and 20 years of supervised release as part of a plea deal.
Haresign, who drove for Golden Sun Bus Service, was arrested on April 29 last year and charged with supplying the 12-year-old girl with smokes, cash and lavish gifts — and giving her a Nikon digital camera in 2017, the Watertown Daily Times reported at the time of the arrest.
The girl used the camera to provide Haresign with about 50 sexually explicit images and videos over an eight-month period, the outlet reported.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, the youngster finally told her mother about the sordid arrangement in early April, and the mom notified authorities.
Police searched Haresign’s home and found lewd images of the girl, including photos where a school bus seat can be seen in the background, prosecutors said.
Haresign is scheduled to be sentenced on July 20 and will have to register as a sex offender and could be fined up to $250,000.