Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of an Infant

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Benjamin Munson, age 32, of Syracuse, pled guilty in United States District Court today to all counts of a thirteen-count Indictment charging him with six counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child, Commission of a Felony Involving a Minor by a Registered Sex Offender, four counts of Distribution of Child Pornography, and two counts of Possession of Child Pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Special Agent in Charge Janeen DiGuiseppi of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and New York State Police Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli made the announcement. 

As a part of his guilty plea, Munson, a registered sex offender, admitted that on at least six separate occasions between 2021 and 2022, while on supervised release for a 2011 federal conviction for distribution and possession of child pornography, he sexually abused an infant for the purpose of producing images and videos of his sexual exploitation of the child. He further admitted that he administered a network of approximately 20 child pornography trading groups on the internet, some of which were dedicated exclusively to trading in newly produced child pornography.  Munson admitted that he distributed child pornography to those groups, including images and videos he produced of his abuse of the infant.  Munson was arrested in August of 2022 after his online activities were discovered by the FBI, and the infant was located and rescued. 

Munson also admitted to seven violations of his conditions of his federal supervised release, including for his new criminal conduct, contact with a minor, contact with a known felon, possession of unauthorized electronic devices, and possession of child pornography.

Munson is scheduled to be sentenced on July 13, 2023 before Hon. David N. Hurd in Utica, New York.  For all thirteen offenses, Munson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 35 years, and up to 560 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life.  He will also continue to be required to register as a sex offender.  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 was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Mid-State Child Exploitation Task Force in cooperation with the New York State Police.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa M. Fletcher, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for the Northern District of New York. 

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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.