Rochester Man Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Charges

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX:            (716) 551-3051

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Leonardo Gonzalez, 34, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography before Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, who is handling the case, stated that this case began with an indictment in the District of Alaska where Gonzalez was charged with one count of distribution of child pornography. On August 31, 2016, in the Western District of New York, the defendant possessed 300 images of child pornography involving prepubescent minors on his Alcatel smart phone. Gonzalez downloaded the images from a website containing child pornography.  

The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska, under the direction of Acting United States Attorney Bryan Schroder.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 17, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. before Judge Geraci.