Amherst Man Charged with Possession of Child Pornography
| U.S. Attorney’s Office January 31, 2014 |
BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Cameron Stroke, 32, of Amherst, New York, has been charged by criminal complaint with possession of child pornography. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that according to the criminal complaint, in February 2011, the defendant possessed child pornography that contained graphic depictions of the sexual abuse of prepubescent children and children performing sexual acts on animals. The child pornography was found following online postings made by Stroke soliciting minors for sexual purposes. At the time, the defendant used the e-mail address thirteenrez@aol.com for his online postings.
The defendant made an initial appearance today U.S. Magistrate Judge Hugh B. Scott and entered a not guilty plea. A bail hearing is scheduled for February 3, 2014, at 11:30 a.m.
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 Brian P. Boetig, Special Agent in Charge; investigators with the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Michael Cerretto; and detectives with the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Zack.
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.