Registered Sex Offender Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Charge

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Charles Augrom, III, 35, of Bath, NY, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography following a prior child pornography conviction before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. The charge carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime period of supervised release.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that in July 2020, an undercover law enforcement officer was investigating individuals who use peer to peer file sharing applications to share child pornography over the internet. During the undercover session, the officer downloaded numerous pictures and videos of child pornography that traced back to an IP address belonging to the defendant. Some of the images and videos included children younger than 12 years old engaged in sexual conduct with adults, as well as depictions of violence. On December 10, 2020, investigators executed a search warrant at Augrom’s William Street residence and seized electronic items that were later found to contain more than 600 images depicting child pornography.  The defendant is a Level III register sex offender on the New York State Sex Offender Registry, following two prior New York State child pornography convictions.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Corning Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jul 21, 2021, before Judge Wolford.