A Greene County man has pleaded guilty to charges related to the sexual exploitation of children, according to federal authorities. Stephen Wendell Lutes, 32, admitted in court to sexually abusing a girl from about age five until she was approximately eight years old and creating recordings of some of the abuse. He also acknowledged making a video showing both this victim and another child of similar age naked in a bathtub.
Lutes further admitted that during the same period he viewed and downloaded child pornography depicting other children unknown to him using social media applications and stored such material on his cellphone.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “Lutes admitted to heinous sexual exploitation and child pornography crimes. My Office is committed to vigorously investigating and prosecuting child sex predators in coordination with our federal and state partners. The community is safer because Lutes will be behind bars for years to come.”
Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations’ Buffalo Field Office, said: “With today's guilty plea, the defendant admitted to his abhorrent exploitation of two children. While no amount of justice can undo the trauma of his crimes, I thank HSI Albany and our partners with the New York State Police and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York for utilizing every tool at our disposal to confront threats against children and vulnerable communities.”
Sentencing is scheduled for December 22, 2025. Lutes faces mandatory minimum sentences including at least 15 years up to 30 years in prison for each count of sexual exploitation of a child, at least five years up to 20 years for receipt of child pornography, and up to 20 years for possession of child pornography. In addition, he will be subject to supervised release ranging from five years up to life after imprisonment, required restitution payments, possible fines up to $250,000, and mandatory registration as a sex offender upon release.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) along with the New York State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Mikayla Espinosa and Michael D. Gadarian are handling prosecution as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is an initiative led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices across the country along with the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). It coordinates resources among federal, state, and local agencies aiming both at apprehending those who exploit children online as well as identifying victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
