A Rochester man, Rashad Rabah, 33, was arrested and charged with production, receipt, and possession of child pornography, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo. The charges could result in up to 30 years in prison, a lifetime period of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi said that the case began when Rabah attempted to collect a package containing fentanyl at the Jefferson Road Processing and Distribution Center in Henrietta, New York. The United States Postal Inspection Service intercepted the package and carried out a controlled delivery to Rabah in August 2025. Investigators seized his cell phone during this operation.
Searches conducted on Rabah’s phone revealed evidence of child exploitation crimes involving minors in the Rochester area. Further investigation by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force included analysis of his phones as well as search warrants for his online accounts and home.
According to the complaint, from April 2022 through August 7, 2025, Rabah engaged in sexually explicit online conversations with a minor victim from Rochester. He solicited sexually explicit images and videos from the minor victim and paid them to engage in this conduct. The complaint also states that Rabah contacted other minors in the Rochester area for similar purposes and participated in an online forum dedicated to child exploitation.
Rabah made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Colleen D. Holland and is being held pending a detention hearing scheduled for January 28, 2026.
The investigation was led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division under Acting Inspector-in-Charge Nicholas J. Bucciarelli and the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera.
"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," according to officials.
