Level 1 Sex Offender Charged With Possession Of Child Pornography

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Zachary Feeterman, 24, of Tonawanda, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession of child pornography. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on August 8, 2019, two Erie County Probation Officers were conducting a routine home visit at the defendant’s residence where they discovered a cellular telephone. In November 2015, Feeterman was convicted of Attempted Possession of a Sexual Performance by a Child less than 16 years old, and was a Level 1 Sex Offender on probation. As a result, he is prohibited from possessing a cell phone.

During a search of the phone, the probation officers several anonymous chatting and social media applications. One of the applications was KEEPSAFE, a vault storage application that looks like a calculator. The application contained files with images and videos of child pornography. Investigators also found numerous other images and videos of child pornography on the phone. Some of the images and videos included prepubescent children and depictions of violence.

A detention hearing was held today before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder, Jr. and Feeterman was detained.

The complaint is the result of an investigation by members the Erie County Probation Department, under the direction of Commissioner Brian McLaughlin; the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert; and the Town of Tonawanda Police Department, under the direction of Chief James P. Stauffiger.

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.