Henrietta Man Pleads Guilty To Producing Child Pornography

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Mark Buechler, 45, of Henrietta, NY, pleaded guilty to production of child pornography involving two prepubescent minors before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. The charges carry a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, and a maximum of 60 years, and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that on May 3, 2018, an 11-year-old boy, minor victim 1, disclosed to his school counselor that the defendant performed various sexual acts on him on an ongoing basis at Buechler’s home in Henrietta. The counselor contacted Child Protective Services (CPS) to report the alleged incidents. A Monroe County CPS Investigator and a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Investigator interviewed the minor victim and Buechler was arrested that day.

Also on May 3, 2018, a state search warrant was executed at the defendant’s Stone Road residence. Multiple digital and storage devices were seized, including computers, tablets, phones, SD cards, thumb drives, and digital cameras.

On May 7, 2018, Sheriff’s Office Investigators interviewed minor victim 2, an 18 year old boy who had visited Buechler’s residence when he was younger. Minor victim 2 also disclosed that he was sexually abused by the defendant over an extended period of time. A second state search warrant was executed on May 7, 2018, at which time additional digital devices were seized. 

          

The Federal Bureau of Investigation was contacted, and on May 24, 2018, a federal search warrant was obtained to review the items seized during the execution of the state search warrants. A review of some of the items seized uncovered approximately 8,700 images and two videos of child pornography produced by Buechler, some of which depicted the defendant abusing the minor victims.  Buechler’s federal conviction follows a state court conviction secured by the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office in October 2018.

Today’s plea is the result of an investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Major Crimes Unit, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter; the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, Special Victims Unit, under the direction of District Attorney Sandra Doorley; Monroe County Child Protective Services, under the direction of Amy Natale-McConnell; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert; and the Bivona Child Advocacy Center, under the direction of Executive Director Deb Rosen.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 27, 2019, at 3:00 p.m. before Judge Wolford.