David Renz Sentenced on Federal Child Pornography Offenses

SYRACUSE, NY—United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian announced that David J. Renz, 30, of North Syracuse, was sentenced in federal court in Syracuse today on one count of receiving and five counts of possessing child pornography.

United States Senior District Court Judge, Honorable Norman A. Mordue sentenced Renz to a total of 30 years in federal prison: 20 years on his conviction for receiving child pornography, to be served consecutively to concurrent 10 year sentences on each of the possession charges. Mordue ordered that the sentence shall run consecutively to the state court sentence Renz faces in Onondaga County Court based upon his guilty pleas there to predatory sexual assault against a child and murder in the first degree for crimes he committed while on pre-trial release for the child pornography charges. The state court sentencing is tentatively scheduled for May 16, 2014, in Onondaga County Court.

If ever released, Renz was ordered to be placed on federal supervised release for life and will have to register as a sex offender.

Renz’s arrest on the child pornography charges was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

The federal prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Fletcher.