Philip Young, 31, of Olean, New York, was sentenced on June 17 to 180 months in prison and lifetime supervised release after being convicted of distribution of child pornography. U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. handed down the sentence following an investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo, the case began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTipline Report on June 22, 2023, indicating that an image depicting a naked prepubescent girl had been uploaded online. The image was traced back to Young. Investigators executed a search warrant at Young’s residence and seized several items, including a cellular phone.
A forensic review revealed that Young used the Telegram application and other internet resources to seek out, receive, and distribute child pornography. Authorities recovered a video from his cell phone that constituted child pornography.
The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright as part of efforts by the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York to prosecute federal criminal violations and protect public safety through community engagement and training forums, according to the official website. The office operates under the United States Department of Justice with approximately 120 federal prosecutors and support staff across its main Buffalo office at 138 Delaware Avenue and branch office in Rochester at 100 State Street; it covers 17 counties in western New York.
The sentencing concludes an investigation overseen by Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Brendan Dunford.