Lancaster Man Pleads Guilty to Using the Internet to Entice a Minor

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney, William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Kevin Martis, 25, of Lancaster, N.Y., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara, to coercion and enticement of a minor and possession of child pornography. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison, a fine of $500,000 or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Maura O’Donnell, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant used the Internet on two separate occasions to attempt to encourage a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old to engage in sexual activity. Martis initially contacted the minor victims through Facebook. Police were alerted by the parents of the minor victims. Law enforcement also found over 600 images of child pornography on the defendant’s computer, which included images of children under the age of 12.

“This case is a good example of why it is so important for parents to keep on the cell phone and computer usage of their children,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “It was alert parents who notified law enforcement and as a result this defendant is being brought to justice.”

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 investigation was initiated by the Kenmore and Depew Police Departments and is being handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota, and detectives from the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief David Zack.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 4, 2012, at 12:30 p.m. EST, in Buffalo, N.Y., before Judge Arcara.