Buffalo man pleads guilty to child pornography and cyberstalking charges

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Raymond Brooks, 25, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to possession of child pornography by an individual with a prior sex offense conviction, and cyberstalking, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.   

Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz T. Wright, who handled the case, stated that in January 2019, Brooks was convicted in Erie County Court of Possessing a Sexual Performance by a Child. On April 23, 2020, law enforcement searched Brooks’ cell phone,  locating images and videos containing child pornography. Some of the images and videos depicted prepubescent minors engaged in violent sexual conduct. In January 2021, Brooks contacted a 15-year-old victim via Snapchat, and persuaded her to produce sexually explicit images of herself and send them to him. Brooks then contacted the victim repeatedly via Snapchat and threatened her to send more sexually explicit images or videos, or he would distribute the existing images and videos to her family members, friends, and other Snapchat users. As a result, the victim created more sexually explicit images and videos.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 3, 2024, before Judge Sinatra.