ALBANY, NEW YORK – Taiel Gookool, age 31, was sentenced on April 17, 2026, to 35 years in prison to be followed by 20 years of supervised release by United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci for exploiting four different minors and possessing child pornography.First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.In 2018, Gookool was convicted of Sexual Assault in the Second Degree in Connecticut, a statutory rape offense involving a victim between 13 and 15 years old. He was required to register as a sex offender as a result. In 2024, he sexually exploited four teenage females, subjecting all of them to vaginal sex and three of the four to mouth-to-penis contact. The defendant created or had the victims create videos of the sexual abuse.First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said: “Though Gookool was sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment for his 2018 conviction, he served just over 2 years of that sentence because the rest was suspended. This left him inadequately punished and totally undeterred, repeating the same conduct with multiple victims not only after his release but while still on probation for it. His 35-year sentence ensures that the community will be protected for decades to come. I applaud the work of the FBI and the New York State Police in bringing this dangerous sexual predator to justice.”Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremorli said: “Mr. Gookool, a registered sex offender and pathological predator, will spend the next three and a half decades in federal prison for refusing to change his sickening behavior. While he remains behind bars and unable to harm our most vulnerable, the FBI will continue to work tirelessly to ensure justice for the victims of these dangerous criminals.”FBI-Albany investigated the case with assistance from FBI-New Haven and the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.###
Source: U.S. Department of Justice