At 61, a former New York lawmaker and member of the state parole board got himself entangled in a sex scandal – that of trying to entice minors online for sex. A longtime Republican from Plattsburgh, Ortloff was the North Country’s 110th Assembly District representative from 1986 to 2006.

Ortloff, who was arrested at a motel in suburban Albany in October in a state police sting, has pleaded guilty to the federal charge against him. If convicted, Ortloff faces a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled April 23.

According to prosecutors, Ortloff repeatedly called and e-mailed a woman, who he thought was the mother of two minor girls – 11 and 12 years old, and sought a meeting with them to have sex. He had brought along video equipment to the hotel, intending to record it.

Assistant US Attorney Thomas Spina said it was actually an undercover operation, in which Ortloff was in conversation with undercover agents, and no minors were involved.

However, since Ortloff has admitted that in the past, he has had sex with minors in his neighborhood, Baxter said that real victims might just turn up during subsequent investigations, as, in such situations, statements of this kind are taken seriously and investigated.