Guilderland Man Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Blake Spears, age 38, of Westmere, Town of Guilderland, New York, was ordered detained today following his arrest last week on child pornography charges.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and James N. Hendricks, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Spears appeared today before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel, who ordered Spears detained following a hearing.  A criminal complaint accuses Spears of using the Kik phone messaging application to distribute child pornography in December 2018.  On February 15, FBI agents found child pornography on a thumb drive in Spears’s residence, according to the complaint.  The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty

If convicted, Spears faces at least 5 years and up to 20 years in prison, as well as a term of post-release supervision of at least 5 years and up to life.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

This case is being investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department and New York State Police.   The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.