BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Donald Gardner, Jr., 40, of Lafayette, NY, with production of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie P. Grisanti, who is handling the case, stated that on Feb. 2, 2014, the defendant used the internet to entice, and coerce a minor a 10 year old to send him to sexually explicit photos.
The defendant was arraigned today before the U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schreoder, Jr.
The indictment is the culmination of an investigation by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department.
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
