U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman | U.S. Department of Justice
Timothy "Mitch" Duell, a 48-year-old resident of Schenectady County, New York, received a sentence of 30 months in prison followed by ten years of supervised release for possessing child pornography. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo, New York Field Office.
Duell admitted to having sexually explicit images of a child under the age of 12 and participating in online discussions about engaging in sexual acts with that child.
United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino ordered Duell to pay $3,000 in restitution to the victim and to forfeit the electronic device used in committing the offense. Upon his release from prison, Duell will be required to register as a sex offender.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the New York State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Gadarian prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006. It aims to coordinate federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet while also identifying and rescuing victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
