Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Joseph T. Sautter, 37, of Blasdell, New York, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny, to a felony charge of possession of child pornography. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.

Sautter, a former school teacher for the Dunkirk Public Schools, admitted that he possessed over 600 images of child pornography. An investigation began when the district's superintendent contacted the FBI after suspected child pornography was discovered on a school computer that Sautter had used. Additional child pornography was found on Sautter's personal computer at his residence. The school district has been fully cooperating with the FBI on this case.

"It's so disappointing when anyone victimizes children through the use of child pornography but it's especially disturbing when those charged with educating our kids commit such a reprehensible act" said U.S. Attorney Hochul.

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 plea 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.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 17, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. EST, in Buffalo N.Y., in front of Judge Skretny.