Lancaster Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

BUFFALO—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Joseph Marranca, Jr., 67 of Lancaster, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara, to attempted receipt of child pornography. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years, a fine of $250,000, or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie P. Grisanti, who is handling the case, stated the defendant posted an ad on Craigslist.com that read, in part, “looking for a teenager.” Marranca engaged in chat conversations online and began talking with a person who indicated that she was a 14-year-old girl. During those chats, the defendant asked the 14-year-old for pictures and made arrangements to meet her at a park. The individual that Marranca was actually chatting with was an undercover police officer. The defendant was arrested after he drove to the park to meet the officer. As part of the plea, Marranca agreed to the forfeiture of his 2005 Acura, his computer, and his cell phone.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Christopher M. Piehota, Special Agent in Charge; and the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Zack.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 25, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. before Judge Arcara.

Lancaster Man Sentenced for Using the Internet to Entice a Minor

BUFFALO—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Kevin Martis, 23, of Lancaster, New York, who was convicted of enticement of a minor and possession of child pornography, was sentenced to 78 months in prison U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Maura O’Donnell, who handled the case, stated that the defendant used the Internet on two separate occasions to attempt to encourage a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old to engage in sexual activity. Martis initially contacted the minor victims through Facebook. Police were alerted by the parents of the minor victims. Law enforcement also found over 600 images of child pornography on the defendant’s computer, which included images of children under the age of 12.

“This case shows the important role parents can play in keeping their children safe,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “Thanks to the involvement of the parents, law enforcement was able to prevent this defendant from seriously harming two children.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota; and detectives from the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief David Zack. The FBI was assisted by the Kenmore, Depew, and Lancaster Police Departments.

Former Teacher Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Production and Possession of Child Pornography

BUFFALO—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Timothy Bek, 25, of West Seneca, New York, who was convicted of production and possession of child pornography, was sentenced to 360 months in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Maura K. O’Donnell, who handled the case, stated that the defendant, a former teacher at a number of area schools, posed as a female teenager on a social networking website. Bek used the fictitious identity to make contact with underage victims, some of whom were students in the schools where Bek taught. Once contact was made, the defendant persuaded the victims to take explicit photos and videos of themselves. Bek further convinced the victims to send these images over the Internet and via text messaging. The images of these underage victims were subsequently found on computers owned by the defendant.

The images were discovered by law enforcement during the execution of a search warrant in connection with the arrest of the defendant’s brother, Jason Bek. In December 2011, Jason Bek pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor and receipt of child pornography and was sentenced to 144 months in prison.

“This case shines a bright light on a very serious problem,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “Our children can encounter danger each and every time they log onto a computer or pick up a cell phone. Predators can be highly educated, cunning, extremely manipulative, and willing to go to any lengths in order to target and destroy the innocence of a child. For these reasons, it’s crucial for parents to be vigilant in monitoring exactly what their kids are doing online and on the phone. Social media provides many great benefits but it also attracts those seeking to victimize children. The bottom line, the best defense is to be proactive and prevent such would be criminals from gaining access to our children.”

Online Tips for Parents:

1. With summer right around the corner, and extra time of their hands, some kids will undoubtedly be spending more time on the computer. Parents need to monitor that computer usage, including time spent online and the websites their children are visiting.

2. It is a good idea to keep the family computer in a common area rather than in a child’s bedroom.

3. Parent should discuss with their children what is appropriate to post online and what is not, such as information about themselves and pictures.

4. Parents should know what other access their children may have to a computer such as the library and friends’ houses.

5. Parent must encourage their children to let them know if they are approached by a stranger online, someone they do not know, especially if they are scared or confused.

For more information, parents can visit http://www.projectsafechildhood.govnetsmartz411.com.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cyber Crime Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota; the West Seneca Police Department, under the direction of Chief Edward Gehen; the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Zack; and the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff James Votour. CEOS Attorney Keith Becker assisted in the prosecution of the case.

West Seneca Man Pleads Guilty to Online Enticement of a Minor and Receipt of Child Pornography

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Jason Bek, 30, of West Seneca, N.Y. pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara, to coercion and enticement of a minor and receipt of child pornography. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison, a $500,000 or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Maura K. O’Donnell, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant used the Internet and telephone to attempt to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a person who he believed to be a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. In actuality, the 13-year-old child was fictional, and the defendant’s online conversations were with law enforcement officers posing as various individuals. Bek was arrested in May 2011, when he arrived at a pre-arranged meeting with the minor for purposes of engaging in sexual activity. The defendant was in possession of alcohol and prescription drugs, which he intended to give to the minor. In addition, Bek pleaded guilty to the knowing receipt of child pornography in March 2011. The defendant possessed in excess of 150 images of child pornography on his computer.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The plea was the culmination of an investigation on the part of special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cyber Crime Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota and Detectives and Officers from the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Zack.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 19, 2011, at 12:30 p.m. EST, in Buffalo, N.Y., before Judge Arcara.

Man Sentenced for Possession of Child Pornography

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Justin Jeffrey Amato, 28, of Cheektowaga, New York, who was convicted of possession of child pornography, was sentenced to seven years in prison and five years of supervised release by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William M. Skretny.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who handled the case, stated that on January 28, 2009, the defendant possessed approximately 133 images and 34 videos of child pornography which were stored on his computer. Amato obtained these images and videos over the Internet using a file sharing program. Many of the images and videos depicted minors less than 12 years of age, and some of the images and videos contained depictions of violence which would have been painful to the child.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-In- Charge Richard W. Kollmar, and Detectives of the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police David J. Zack. Additional assistance was provided by the Western New York Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory, which conducted the forensic analysis of the computer.