'High-risk' pedophile fired by New York city after 'horrific' new allegations involving 12-year-old girl

A convicted "high-risk" pedophile hired by the city of Syracuse, New York, was fired after he was arrested for "horrific" allegations involving a 12-year-old girl.

On Thursday, police responded to a report of a man with an underage girl in a parking lot. The man fled the scene after being approached by another adult, according to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office.

He allegedly lured the child to an isolated area in the Town of Lafayette and subjected her to a sexual act two separate times.

An investigation of the victim's social media found that she had been interacting with a male through Snapchat. The messages indicated they had been having a sexual relationship.

The man was identified as 45-year-old James M. Desantis, who was already registered as a high-risk sex offender.

Desantis was arrested Thursday and booked into the Onondaga County Justice Center. He faces a slew of charges that include:

• First-degree attempted rape;
• Luring a child to commit a felony;
• First-degree sexual abuse;
• Sexual abuse with an underage child;
• First-degree coercion;
• Third-degree aggravated sexual abuse;
• Aggravated sexual abuse with an underage victim;
• First-degree stalking;
• First-degree disseminating indecent materials to minors;
• Third-degree obscenity; and
• Two counts of acting in a manner injurious to a child under 17.

Desantis was previously convicted of sex crimes against children in 2004 and 2005. In the first case, he was sentenced to 10 years probation for the rape of a 14-year-old girl. In the second case, he was convicted for the rape of another 14-year-old girl and sentenced to five years in prison.

Both victims were known to Desantis.

In the more current accusations against Desantis, he allegedly lured the child to an isolated area in the Town of Lafayette and subjected her to a sexual act two separate times. Both times, he sent a photo of a firearm to her and said he knew where she lived.

Desantis was hired by the Syracuse Department of Public Works in 2017 and was promoted to an on-location supervisor in 2024. He was fired after the arrest, and city officials are now being questioned about how a child sex offender had been working for years at the city.

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Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens said her administration is investigating how Desantis was hired by the city and reviewing hiring practices.

"I'm very angry," Owens said to WSYR-TV. "I spent my life working with children and protecting families, and this, quite frankly, is pissing me off."

Desantis is scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday.

The sheriff's department asked for help from the public to find other possible victims in the case.

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