Rotterdam man pleads guilty to charges of rape, incest

A Rotterdam man will serve time in prison and must register as a sex offender, after pleading guilty to rape and incest charges.

On June 26, Brian C. Barrett, 51, of Rotterdam, pled guilty to a ten-count indictment in Schenectady County Court. The indictment included one (1) count of Rape in the Third Degree and nine (9) counts of Incest in the Third Degree. For the Rape in the Third Degree charge, the Defendant admitting to being 21 years old or more when he engaged in sexual intercourse with another person less than 17 years old. The Defendant admitted the incest charges for engaging in sexual intercourse with a person whom he knew to be related to him.

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According to the Schenectady County District Attorney's Office, the investigation began when the victim reported the rape to the Rotterdam Police Department in March of 2024. Through that investigation it was determined that the Defendant had started raping the victim when she was 14 and living in the Town of Colonie. The Defendant engaged in sexual contact with the victim starting at that time and continuing when they moved to the Town of Rotterdam when she was 15 in 2018. The abuse continued until the end of 2023, when the victim was 21 years old. The charges the Defendant pled to on June 26, 2026, relate to acts of abuse that occurred within the Town of Rotterdam in Schenectady County.

Prior to the victim reporting this incident to the police, the Defendant sent her text messages that he would have to kill himself if she reported it. The Defendant also told the victim she should not report the abuse because of the impact it may have on other family members. Notwithstanding the Defendant’s repeated begging and manipulation, according to the DA's office, the victim did eventually report the abuse to the police. Rotterdam Police Department Detectives interviewed the Defendant and he made admissions about having a sexual relationship with the victim.

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Throughout the investigation the Defendant told Rotterdam Detectives that he was a New York State Corrections Officer, and that he knew other members of the Rotterdam Police Department as well as other individuals. None of that name-dropping inhibited the investigation by the Rotterdam Police Department.

The defendant pled guilty to the entire indictment after rejecting the People’s plea offer in this case and obtaining the agreement of the Judge to sentence him to a determinate sentence of 2 years in prison with 10 years of post-release supervision on the rape charge and a sentence of 1 to 3 on each of the incest charges, to run concurrently. When released from prison he will be required to register as a sex offender for a minimum of 20 years. In addition, a full stay away order of protection will be issued for the victim.