Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

ROCHESTER, NY—Renny Graham, 59, of Marion, NY, was sentenced to 70 months in prison, a fine of $1500 and 15 years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa, after pleading guilty in October 2008 to one count of possession of child pornography. Acting U.S. Attorney Kathleen M. Mehltretter of the Western District of New York announced today.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, who handled the case, stated that Graham pleaded guilty as a result of an investigation that began in September 2007, when the New York State Police Computer Crime Unit received a complaint about an individual using the screen name "renny1211". The defendant was interviewed by New York State police in January 2008 and the defendant admitted to chatting about the sexual abuse of minors. A forensic examination of Graham's computer revealed more than 300 child pornography images. Some of the child pornography images depicted prepubescent minors or minors under twelve years old, and portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. 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 .

The sentence was the culmination of an investigation on the part of the New York State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, under the direction of Captain Frank Pace, and Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Laurie J. Bennett.