Middleburgh Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt of Child Pornography

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Edward Werner, age 51 of Middleburgh, New York, pled guilty today to receiving child pornography.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Andrew W. Vale, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Werner faces at least 5 years and up to 20 years in prison, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of between 5 years and life, when he is sentenced on July 6, 2016 by U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. Werner will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Colonie Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Solomon B. Shinerock.

This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.