Henrietta Man Sentenced for Producing Child Pornography

    ROCHESTER, N.Y.B U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul announced today that Bradley W. Pattee, 57, of Henrietta, N.Y., who was convicted of 13 counts of producing, distributing and possessing child pornography, was sentenced to 47 years in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa J. Miller, who handled the case, stated that the defendant came to the attention of law enforcement in December 2011 during an undercover investigation of the online trading of child pornography. Special Agents with Homeland Security Investigations conducted a search warrant at Patee’s residence and seized numerous items of digital media, including computers, hard drives and removable media. During their investigation, agents discovered that the defendant had also produced child pornography by taking pictures of a child under the age of 18 engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

“Today’s punishment sends a strong message, if you engage in crime that could have lifelong effects on our children, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “As today’s punishment shows, such conduct could also result in a lengthy sentence from the court.”

"While today’s significant sentencing cannot restore the loss innocence of the children depicted in the voluminous and monstrous images found in the defendant’s possession, it should serve as a stark warning to those who engage in this behavior — HSI and our partners will be relentless in our pursuit of those who sexually exploit children," said James Spero, Special Agent in Charge for HSI Buffalo.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys= Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero.