Richard Bailey Arrested and Charged with Receiving and Distributing Child Pornography

ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr., of the Western District of New York, announced that Richard Bailey, 54, of Rochester, New York, was arrested today and charged by criminal complaint with receiving, distributing, and possessing child pornography. The charges carry a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who handled the matter, stated that Richard Bailey used his computer to access the unsecured wireless networks of other individuals and businesses to obtain and distribute child pornography over the Internet.

The arrest today is the result of investigative efforts by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota.

The defendant has been detained and is due back in court for a detention hearing on November 5, 2012, at 3:00 p.m.

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 http://www.justice.gov/psc.

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.