SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Douglas Gustafson, age 36, of Syracuse, pled guilty yesterday to violating the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and United States Marshal David L. McNulty.
Gustafson, who is a sex offender based on a 2008 federal conviction for recruiting and enticing a 14-year-old minor to engage in a commercial sex act, admitted that on May 28, 2022 he absconded from a residential recovery center, which was his court-ordered and registered address, and that he remained at large until he was located by law enforcement in Madison County on June 27, 2022. Gustafson’s failure to notify the state Division of Criminal Justice Services Sex Offender Registry of this change in his residence was a violation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, which requires sex offenders to notify the registry within 3 days of any change in residence.
Gustafson also admitted to violating his federal supervised release by, among other things, absconding from the residential reentry center and committing a new crime by failing to report his change of address to the Sex Offender Registry.
Gustafson will be sentenced on February 13, 2023 before Senior United States District Judge Norman A. Mordue. For failing to update his sex offender registration information, Gustafson faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life, and a fine of up to $250,000. For violating the conditions of his supervised release, Gustafson faces a potential additional penalty of up to 5 years in prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case was investigated by the United States Marshal Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa M. Fletcher.