BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Shawn Johnson, 33, of West Seneca, NY, was arrested and charged by complaint with possession of child pornography and destruction of evidence. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Rudroff, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in September 2019, investigators discovered an IP address, traced to the defendant, requesting suspected child pornography files on a peer to peer sharing network. On December 2, 2019, the FBI obtained a search warrant for Johnson’s Angle Road residence. As investigators entered the residence, they heard loud noises coming from the second floor. They encountered the defendant standing in his bedroom with a laptop computer in his hands, smashing it against the wall trying to damage it. The laptop, which sustained serious damage, was sent to the FBI's Digital Forensics Analysis Unit Laboratory for repair. Approximately 80% of the data, which included numerous images and videos of child pornography, was recovered.
The defendant will make an initial appearance at 12:00 p.m. today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia, and the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Sliwinski.
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.
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