U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo has announced that Alexander Grupp, a 32-year-old resident of Lancaster, NY, has pleaded guilty to the charge of receiving child pornography. The plea was entered before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison with a maximum possible sentence of 40 years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright is handling the case and detailed Grupp's criminal history, noting that he had previously been convicted in March 2018 by a New York State Court for possessing obscene sexual performance by a child under sixteen. At that time, Grupp received a sentence that included ten years' probation.
In October 2022, Grupp engaged in communication with a 15-year-old girl via Discord, an instant messaging application. During these interactions, he convinced the victim to send him nude photographs.
The investigation leading to this plea was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), led by Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.
A date for sentencing will be determined later.