Man Indicted on Charges of Receipt, Distribution, and Possession of Child Pornography

BUFFALO, NY—A federal grand jury in Buffalo has returned a two-count indictment charging Justin Jeffrey Amato, 27, of Cheektowaga, NY, with receipt, distribution, and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Kathleen M. Mehltretter of the Western District of New York. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango stated that the Indictment charges the defendant with receiving and distributing child pornography between January of 2006 and January 28, 2009. The defendant received and distributed the child pornography using the Internet. Additionally, the Indictment charges that on January 28, 2009, the defendant possessed images of child pornography that had been transported in interstate and foreign commerce. An arraignment of the charges will be scheduled in front of Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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 Indictment was the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-In-Charge James H. Robertson. The evidence was presented to the Grand Jury by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who will handle the trial of the case.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.