Buffalo, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that James M. Meyers, 28, of Lackawanna, NY, has been arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession of child pornography. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott S. Allen, Jr., who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on June 24, 2014, the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Department responded to a complaint in the Town of Pike. At that time, deputies were given an SD card which contained what appeared to be images of child pornography. Subsequent investigation determined that the SD card belonged to the defendant. A forensic analysis determined the images were in fact child pornography. Some of the images contained graphic images of prepubescent children.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The criminal complaint is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Gregory Rudolph.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
