Troy Man Arrested for Distribution of Child Pornography

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kurtis Walter, age 24, of Troy, New York, was arrested today on a charge of distributing child pornography.

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

Walter made an initial appearance today in Albany before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel.  A detention hearing has been scheduled for April 23, 2018.

The complaint filed against Walter alleges that in November 2017 he distributed child pornography via a webcasting and peer-to-peer, file-sharing application.  The charges in the complaint are merely accusations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

If convicted on all charges, Walter faces at least 5 years and up to 20 years in prison, a maximum $250,000 fine, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release 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.  If convicted, Walter would also have to register as a sex offender.

This case is being investigated by the FBI and the New York State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon.

This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood.  Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal 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.