Man Indicted for Attempting to Produce Child Pornography

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr.  announced today that a federal grand jury in Buffalo has returned a two-count indictment charging Joseph A. Koehn, 27, of Buffalo, New York, with attempted production of child pornography and possession of child pornography. The charges carry a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, a fine of $250,000, or both.

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 Indictment was the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Buffalo, New York,  under the direction of James H. Robertson, Special Agent In Charge, and the Buffalo Police Department under the direction of Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda. The evidence was presented to the grand jury by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie P. Grisanti, who will handle the trial of the case.

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.