Troy Man Arrested for Child Pornography Possession

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Brian Pickett, age 40, of Troy, New York, was arrested last week on a child pornography charge.  The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Thomas Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  

The criminal complaint against Pickett, who is a registered sex offender, alleges that Pickett possessed multiple videos of child pornography on his electronic devices.  The charge in the criminal complaint is merely an accusation.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

The charge against Pickett carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison, a post-release term of supervision of between 5 years and life, and a fine of up to $250,000. 

Pickett made his initial appearance on May 7 before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart.  He is detained pending a detention hearing on a future date. 

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 Rotterdam, Troy, and Colonie Police Departments and the New York State Police.   The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Williams. 

The case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood.  Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.