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Press Release

Tonawanda man sentenced on child pornography charges

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of New York

BUFFALO, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Andrew Ortman, 40, of Tonawanda, N.Y., who was convicted of distribution of child pornography, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 20 years supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Arcara.

            Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell T. Ippolito, Jr., who handled the case, stated that on October 22, 2011, law enforcement officers using an undercover computer downloaded eight  video files from Ortman's computer that contained child pornography. Officers then obtained a search warrant for the defendant's home and seized his computer.  A forensic examination determined that Ortman possessed, received and distributed in excess of 600 images and videos of child pornography.

            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 James C. Spero, Special Agent-In-Charge.

 

Updated November 18, 2014