Greece Man Arrested, Charged with Production of Child Pornography

ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Terrance Junot III, 36, of Greece, New York, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with production of child pornography. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, the defendant engaged in a series of sexually explicit online communications with a 13-year-old child. During those communications, Junot persuaded the child to produce sexually explicit photographs of themself, which the child then sent to him over the Internet. During these chats, the defendant also sent sexually explicit photos of himself to the child.

The case came to the attention of law enforcement after the child’s mother found this material on the child’s phone. She recognized the defendant as someone who was known to the family and took the phone to the Greece Police, who began an investigation. In the course of their investigation, Greece Police executed several search warrants and searched the victim’s cell phone. Following their discovery of sexually explicit pictures of the victim, Greece Police contacted the FBI Cyber-Crimes Task Force for assistance.

“This case is another example of why it is so important for parents to monitor the computer and cell phone usage of their children,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “The victim’s mother checked the her child’s cell phone, found the photographs, and immediately reached out to police. As in this case, if you see something, please say something and then law enforcement can do something.”

The defendant made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan W. Feldman. Junot is being detained pending a detention hearing March 25, 2013, at 4:00 p.m. before Judge Feldman.

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.justice.gov/psc.

The criminal complaint is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Officers of the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Todd Baxter, and special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota.

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.