Convicted felon pleads guilty to new child pornography charge

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Joshua Zak, 46, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to possession of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a maximum of 20 years.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, who is handling the case, stated that in May 2018, Zak was convicted of receipt of child pornography and sentenced to serve 72 months in prison and 20 years supervised release, which began in May 2022. In March 2023, a United States Probation Officer interviewed Zak during a home visit, during which he admitted to using a smart phone that he found at his mother's residence to view pornography. Zak also admitted that he found an old SD card that was not located by law enforcement when he was previously arrested. A few days later, U.S. Probation met Zak at his mother's residence, where he led officers to a trash bag that contained several electronic devices, as well as an SD card. A review of the SD card recovered more than 600 images and videos of child pornography, some of which included depictions of violence against children.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Probation Office, under the direction of Chief Probation Officer Timothy Englert, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.

Sentencing scheduled for September 9, 2024, before Judge Vilardo.

# # # #