Man Arrested in Child Pornography Case

ROCHESTER, NY—John Richard Wade, 34, of Hornell, New York, was arrested on felony charges of possession and receipt of child pornography, United States Attorney Kathleen M. Mehltretter of the Western District of New York announced today. Possession of child pornography carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, or both. Receipt of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum of 20 years and a fine of $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee stated that the defendant was charged with possession and receipt of child pornography when, on August 27, 2009, Special Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at his residence and seized his computer. According to the criminal complaint, the defendant admitted to the Special Agents that he had downloaded child pornography using a file-sharing program.

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 arrest 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 Robertson.

Wade's next status appearance is scheduled in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan W. Feldman on January 19, 2010.

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.