William Godlewski, a 45-year-old resident of Altamont, New York, has pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in the United States District Court. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office.
Godlewski, who is already a state-convicted sex offender, admitted to possessing around 100 images of child sexual abuse material on his phone. He also caused approximately 244 videos to be uploaded or attempted to be uploaded to a cloud-based storage account linked to his device.
The sentencing is set for October 23, 2025. Godlewski faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and could receive up to 20 years. He may also face a fine of up to $250,000 and will have a supervised release term ranging from at least five years to life. Additionally, he will continue to register as a sex offender.
U.S. Attorney Sarcone emphasized the office's strict stance against sexual predators: “My office has ZERO tolerance for sexual predators...we will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
HSI Special Agent in Charge Keegan remarked on the importance of protecting children: “This guilty plea is a stark reminder of the ever-present need to protect our children from those who seek to harm them for their own selfish desires.”
The case is being investigated by HSI with support from the New York Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Guilderland Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney A.J. Vickey is handling prosecution under Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood aims to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide by leveraging federal, state, and local resources for better apprehension and prosecution of offenders while rescuing victims.
