Hamburg Man Pleads Guilty To Production Of Child Pornography

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy Jr. announced today that Robert Chapline, 60, of Hamburg, NY, pleaded guilty, before Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr., to production of child pornography.  The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 30 years, and a $250,000 fine. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron J. Mango and Caitlin Higgins, who are handling the case, stated that between February 13, 2016, and October 2, 2017, the defendant coerced a minor (Victim) to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions. In February 2016, the Victim was in the care of Chapline who took photographs of the Victim getting out of a shower and then posing in a bedroom. The defendant engaged in sexual contact with the Victim on several occasions between 2012 and 2017.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; the Hamburg Police Department, under the direction of Chief Kevin Trask; and the Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 17, 2020, before Judge Geraci.