Second Cortland Couple Accused of Sexually Exploiting a Young Child

Another Cortland couple is accused in federal court of sexually exploiting a child days after two other Cortland residents were named in a similar complaint.

The United State’s Attorney’s office says 25-year old Lawrence Berry and 24-year-old Brittany Berry were charged April 17 with conspiring to sexually exploit a child born in 2015 to produce visual depictions of the abuse.

The Berrys are accused of conspiring to use the child in pornography around August and September of last year.

Cortland Police arrested Brittany and her husband after they had responded to a report in September of a disturbed woman and said Brittany told them people were calling her a child molester.

The couple is alleged to have video-taped sexual acts against a three-year-old boy.

The woman claims her husband demanded she preform the acts and send him images or face consequences.

The arrests come a week after another Cortland couple: 35-year-old Christopher Perry and 38-year-old Sarah Gates were named under a federal criminal complaint, accused of engaging in sexual conduct with a five-year-old child for the purpose of producing pornography.

The City of Cortland Police said they were continuing their investigation into allegations against Perry and Gates and anyone with information is asked to call (607) 758-8303.

Federal prosecutors say the charges against Gates and Perry carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison.