Man Sentenced in Child Pornography Case

BUFFALO, NY—CHAD EDWARD DESILVA, 27, of Buffalo, New York, who was convicted of distribution of child pornography on July 30, 2008, was sentenced by United States District Judge William M. Skretny, U.S. District Court, to 11 years in prison followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, Acting United States Attorney Kathleen M. Mehltretter of the Western District of New York announced today.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles B. Wydysh, who handled the case, stated that the defendant, in September 2006, used peer-to-peer internet file sharing software "Limewire" and shared child pornography with an individual who was a Task Force Agent of the FBI acting in an undercover capacity. The IP address utilized to send the child pornography was traced by the FBI and disclosed that the defendant sent the illicit images. The FBI then executed a search warrant at the defendant's home and found a hard drive containing the illicit images.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The conviction was the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Laurie Bennett, Special Agent in Charge, the Amherst Police Department, under the direction of Chief John C. Askey.